Volleyball Wins Pair At Midwest Region Crossover

OVERVIEW – MARYVILLE/LAKE ERIE

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 3, Maryville Saints 1 (25-11, 25-15, 30-32, 25-17)/Northwood 3, Lake Erie Storm 1 (25-18, 12-25, 25-18, 25-23)

RECORDS: Maryville (4-18)/Lake Erie (15-8)/Northwood (8-14)

LOCATION: The Academy – Indianapolis, Ind.

RECAP: Northwood earns pair of 3-1 wins to close out the Midwest Region Crossover Saturday (October 13), defeating Maryville and Lake Erie.

INSIDE THE MATCH - MARYVILLE

• Northwood set the tone early in the first set, going on a 10-3 run to start the match. The momentum would continue for the Timberwolves throughout the opening stanza, as an ensuing 11-4 run put them up by 14 deep into the set. Splitting the next eight points, they cruised to a 25-11 win. NU absolutely dominated the set on the scoresheet, posting a .310 attack percentage (13-4-29), while Maryville struggled at -.154 rate (3-7-26).
• The Timberwolves started strong again in the second set, jumping out to another early lead at 7-3. They were able to increase their edge to seven by the mid-way point with an eight of the next 13 points before really turning it on to end the set. Up 18-13, A 7-2 run put an exclamation point on a 25-15 victory that gave Northwood a 2-0 lead in the set series. The Timberwolves had an even better showing in the second, posting a line of .359 (17-3-39). Maryville ended the second at .146 (10-4-41).
• NU looked to be well on their way to a sweep in the third set, starting out on an 8-3 run with the momentum. However, the Saints did not roll over. They responded with a 10-5 run of their own to tie the set and added a corresponding 5-2 outburst to go up 18-15. The Timberwolves stopped the run with three consecutive points to draw even, and both teams traded points until both and 24 and the set went into a win-by-two scenario. Both squads continued to go back and forth until the 30-point mark, when Maryville notched two consecutive scores to win a hard-fought third set 32-30. Northwood had their worst line of the day at .125 (15-9-48), while Maryville had their best at .250 (20-8-48).
• As was the case all match, the Timberwolves started very strong. This time, they sprinted out of the gates to a 10-3 lead. Again, the Saints marched back like they did in the previous set with a 9-4 run to make it a two-point deficit at 14-12. However, Northwood was able to stave off the comeback this time around. An 8-4 run soon gave the Timberwolves an eight-point spread, and three of the next four clinched the set and match at 25-17. NU bounced back in the fourth, putting up a line of .281 (14-5-32). The Saints couldn't keep up, pushing across a .028 line (9-8-36). 

MATCH STATS

• HITTING: Maryville .099 (42-27-151), Northwood .257 (59-21-148)
• DIGS: Maryville 58, Northwood 70 (Brenna Murphy – 22)
• BLOCKS: Maryville 6, Northwood 9 (Grace Rekeweg – 4)
• ACES: Maryville 4, Northwood 10 (MacKenzie Kepler/Murphy – 3 each)

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Venera Kadriu: 13 kills, two aces, 18 digs,
• MacKenzie Kepler: 13 kills, three aces, 11 digs, two blocks
• Grace Rekeweg: 12 kills, six digs, four block assists

INSIDE THE MATCH – LAKE ERIE

• The Timberwolves came out of the gates strong, opening with a 10-4 advantage early on in the first set. They were able to maintain their lead deeper into the match, scoring nine of the next 15 points to extend the edge to 19-10. Holding down a late Lake Erie surge, NU was able to finish the set 25-18 to lead 1-0. Northwood posted a scoring line of .182 (16-8-44), while Lake Erie struggled at .028 (6-5-36).
• The Storm were able to rebound with authority in the second set. Scoring seven of the first 10 points, they were able to build their lead up to double digits by the halfway point at 18-7. Lake Erie eventually took the set with ease at 25-12 to tie the match 1-1. The Timberwolves posted their worst line of the day at -.038 (6-7-26), while the Storm posted their best of the match at .345 (13-3-29).
• The two teams would split the first 14 points in a set that was back-and-forth. Northwood notched seven of the next 11 points to go up by three, then Lake Erie scored three consecutive points to bring the line even at 14. That is when Northwood took over, scoring 11 of the final 15 points to win 25-18 and take a 2-1 advantage. NU ended up with a .132 attack percentage (11-6-38), while holding the Storm to .000 (8-8-40).
• Northwood started the fourth and final set just like the first, sprinting out of the gates to an 11-4 lead. They would maintain their edge and extend it to as many as eight at 17-9 before Lake Erie mounted a comeback attempt. A 6-1 run cut the lead down to three at 18-15. The Timberwolves responded with four of the next six to get three points away from the victory, but the Storm scored three straight to get within two. With NU at match point, two straight scores brought the score to 24-23. Fighting down to the last point, Northwood prevailed and won the final set 25-23 and the match 3-1. The Timberwolves finished the final set at .178 (14-6-45), while the Storm hit .085 (12-8-47).

MATCH STATS

• HITTING: Lake Erie .099 (39-24-152), Northwood .131 (47-27-153)
• DIGS: Lake Erie 71, Northwood 78 (Murphy – 25)
• BLOCKS: Lake Erie 7, Northwood 8 (Mary Gallagher – 4)
• ACES: Lake Erie 6, Northwood 6 (Kepler, Nadia Atton – 2 each)

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Mackenzie Kepler: 13 kills, two aces, 12 digs
• Venera Kadriu: 10 kills, 12 digs,
• Grace Rekeweg: Seven kills, 17 digs, 3 blocks
• Macy Lintz: 41 assists

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood has won all eight matchups between the programs in the series history.

UP NEXT

• Northwood will travel to Ferris State Saturday (October 20) for a matchup against the Bulldogs. Match time is set for 3 p.m.