2021-22 Volleyball Match Schedule Now Available
Courtesy: Northern Michigan Wildcats
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University Volleyball team and head coach Mike Lozier have released their 2021-22 season schedule which includes nine matches inside of Vandament Arena.
The Wildcats will face six teams that finished the 2020-21 spring season with a winning record. The schedule also features matches against two teams who were on the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Women’s Poll at points in the spring.
Back-to-back tournaments open the season up for NMU. The Wildcats begin play at the Keweenaw Classic hosted by Michigan Technological University. They face Minnesota State-Mankato on Thursday, September 2 to open up the 2021-22 slate of action. The next day they play St. Cloud State University and Concordia-St. Paul before closing out Keweenaw Classic play Saturday against the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
NMU remains on the road as they head to the University of Indianapolis Invitational to take on Ashland University and Winona State University on Friday, September 10 with another two matches scheduled for Saturday. The opponents for day two will be released at a later date.
Vandament Arena sees the first action of the season in September when the Wildcats open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play with three straight home matches. Ferris State takes on NMU Friday, September 17 followed by Grand Valley State University the next day and then Davenport on Sunday.
On Friday, September 24, the Wildcats take on Northwood University in their first GLIAC road match of the year. The following day, NMU visits Lake Superior State University in an Upper Peninsula Clash. The next weekend the Wildcats play host to Saginaw Valley State University on Friday, October 1 and Wayne State University the next day in a pair of Homecoming weekend tilts.
The next five matches for NMU are on the road. A trip to rival Michigan Tech opens up the away stretch for the Wildcats on Saturday, October 9.
The Midwest Region Crossover Tournament, which features teams from three conferences, takes place October 15-16 in Hammond, Ind. with opponents announced at a later date. The Wildcats complete the road swing with a trip to Purdue University Northwest on Friday, October 22 and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside the next day.
On October 30, NMU kicks off the first of their final three home matches when they host Michigan Tech for a Saturday tilt. The next weekend sees Lake Superior State (Friday, November 5) and Northwood (Saturday, November 6) both making trips to Marquette.
The regular season ends on the road for the Wildcats as they face Wayne State on November 12 before concluding the season at Saginaw Valley on November 13.
The Wildcats won both the 2020-21 GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships. NMU ended last season with a 15-2 overall mark and a 12-2 GLIAC record. The team was No. 18 in the final AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Women’s Poll and had five All-GLIAC selections as well as GLIAC Freshman of the Year in Jacqueline Smith and GLIAC Coach of the Year in Mike Lozier.