Volleyball Moves To 5-1 With 3-1 Win Over Wayne State

OVERVIEW – WAYNE STATE

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 3, Wayne State Warriors 1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20)

RECORDS: Wayne State (3-3, 3-3 GLIAC), Northwood (5-1, 5-1 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Riepma Arena – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood Volleyball completes weekend sweep over Wayne State with 3-1 win Saturday afternoon (March 6).

INSIDE THE MATCH 

• Northwood led the opening set 11-8 when Wayne State scored six of the next eight points to up 14-13. With the score tied 15-15, WSU went on an 8-3 run to go up 23-18. NU fought back to cut the lead to 24-23, but the Warriors followed by finishing off the set 25-23. Wayne State had the better of the hitting numbers in the opener, finishing with a .227 attack percentage (15-5-44) compared to Northwood at .174 (15-7-46).
• The second set was close throughout – the first three-point lead came at 20-17 Northwood. A 7-2 run late gave Northwood a 22-17 lead before Wayne State fought back to get within one at 24-23. The Timberwolves responded with the final point to level the match after taking the second 25-23. NU picked up their hitting considerably in the second, ending at .276 (13-5-29). WSU finished the second falling back to .081 (13-10-37).
• The Warriors came out fast in the fourth, scoring four of the first five and seven of the first 10 overall. NU came back with four straight points to tie the score 8-8. The Timberwolves eventually pushed their lead to 18-12 and 23-17, but Wayne State would not go away. The Warriors scored six straight to level the score at 23-23, only to see Northwood register the final two points to win 25-23. The hitting numbers in the third were nearly even – Northwood finished at .262 (16-5-42) compared to Wayne State at .275 (15-4-40).
• WSU led 14-13 in the fourth when the key stretch of play occurred. NU scored three straight and eight of the next 11 points to lead 22-17. Wayne State go no closer than three the rest of the set, which was won by Northwood 3-1 to close out the victory. The Timberwolves had their best offensive set in the match in the fourth, hitting .286 (14-4-35). The Warriors ended the frame at .122 (13-8-41).

MATCH STATS 

• HITTING: Northwood .243 (58-21-152), Wayne State .179 (56-27-162)
• DIGS: Northwood 69 (Lauren Bell – 20), Wayne State 61
• BLOCKS: Northwood 13 (Mary Gallagher – Five), Wayne State 6
• ACES: Northwood 3 (MacKelle Thompson – Two), Wayne State 5

TOP NU PERFORMERS 

• Mackenzie Kepler: 15 kills, six digs, four blocks
• Grace Rekeweg: 14 kills, 12 digs, two blocks
• Mary Gallagher: 11 kills, five blocks
• Maya Ferland: Eight kills, four blocks, .571 attack percentage (8-0-14)
• Macy Lintz: 50 assists, 15 digs, four blocks

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood is currently tied for first place in the GLIAC with three other teams at 5-1 (Ferris State, Grand Valley State, Northern Michigan).

UP NEXT 

• Northwood will travel to Northern Michigan for a pair of matches, starting Friday (March 12).