NMU's volleyball team lost in three sets at conference-unbeaten Grand Valley State on Saturday, Sept. 26, dropping to 6-8 overall and 3-3 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

The Lakers won 27-25, 25-19, 25-19 in Allendale to improve to 12-2 overall and 6-0 in conference play, according to The Mining Journal. Grand Valley State shares the GLIAC's top spot with Ferris State, which is 14-0 overall and also 6-0 in league play.

NMU sits in a four-way tie for fourth place.

The Wildcats held statistical edges over the Lakers in kills (39-34), digs (50-48), service aces (6-5) and assists (34-33). The difference came down to finishing.

In the first set, NMU rallied from a 22-18 deficit to take a 24-23 lead on two aces by senior Liesl Haugen and kills from sophomore Kaylie McIntosh and freshman Anna O'Keefe. Grand Valley then scored three straight to steal the set 27-25.

The second set was tied at 15-15 and again at 18-18 before the Lakers closed on a 7-1 run to win 25-19. In the third, NMU jumped ahead 6-2, but a 9-2 GVSU run flipped the set and the Lakers held on to complete the sweep.

McIntosh led the Wildcats with 13 kills. Laynie Russell added 11 and O'Keefe contributed eight. KC Fortune and Haugen each posted 12 digs, with Fortune adding a team-high three aces. Senior setter Allie Barlow recorded 31 assists, and Larsen Bonnstetter led the team with two blocks.

The loss came four days after NMU's five-set rivalry win over Michigan Tech on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Vandament Arena, where McIntosh set a career high with 28 kills in front of nearly 1,000 fans on White Out night. Haugen reached 1,500 career digs in that match, becoming the fourth player in program history to hit the mark.

After the Sept. 22 win, McIntosh told WZMQ, "This was the confidence boost that we needed, and I'm super excited for the rest of the season."

Head coach Mike Lozier is in his 10th season at NMU. The Wildcats were picked fourth in the GLIAC preseason coaches poll, behind Ferris State and Grand Valley State.

NMU returns to Vandament Arena in Marquette on Friday, Oct. 2, for a 5 p.m. match against Wisconsin-Parkside. After that, the Wildcats face six straight road matches: three GLIAC opponents from Saturday, Oct. 3, through Saturday, Oct. 10, followed by three games at the Midwest Crossover at Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Indiana, on Oct. 16-17.

The second regular-season meeting with Grand Valley State is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, at Vandament Arena. NMU won last season's only matchup with the Lakers in five sets at home.