Kenosha, Wis. – Following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, the Parkside Rangers are set to battle the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the GLIAC quarterfinals. The Rangers finished the season with an 11-16 overall record and a 7-9 conference record. As the six seed, they will travel to the Upper Peninsula to take on the third-seeded Wildcats.
Last Weekend for the Rangers
Parkside wrapped up the regular season at home with a pair of losses to Davenport and No. 1 Ferris State. Against Davenport, Sam Fisch capped off a stellar season as the team's right-side hitter, leading the Rangers with 13 kills and 15 total points. Fisch finished her sophomore season with 355 kills (3.55 per set), ranking sixth in the GLIAC.
Additionally, Natalie Harris hit a major milestone in her career, recording her 1,000th career dig on Saturday. Harris finished the season with 496 digs, the highest total in the conference.
Among other standout performances, Marisa Lootens ranked second in the GLIAC with 44 service aces, while Elizabeth Truckenbrod finished 10th with 32. Truckenbrod is now second in Parkside's all-time service ace rankings, just two shy of tying the record. Lastly, Karlee Lois had another strong season running the Rangers' offense, dishing out 738 assists, the sixth-most in the conference.
The Rangers will aim to keep their season alive with an upset victory on the road against Northern Michigan this Wednesday night.
Scouting Northern Michigan
The Wildcats, the third seed, will host the Rangers for the second time this season. Northern Michigan, originally picked to finish fifth in the preseason polls, exceeded expectations with a 19-8 overall record and a 13-4 conference record. Three of their four losses came against Ferris State and Grand Valley State, both ranked in the AVCA Top-25.
Northern Michigan is led by the exceptional Jacqueline Smith, who concluded her fifth year with 412 kills, the most in the GLIAC. Smith has amassed 1,877 kills, 171 service aces, 1,218 digs, 146 total blocks, and 2,150.5 points over her illustrious career. Assisting her is Allie Barlow, who recorded 1,076 assists this season, ranking second in the conference. The Rangers will need to neutralize both Smith and Barlow to extend their postseason run.
History
The Rangers are 6-12 all-time against Northern Michigan. After sweeping the Wildcats last season, Northern Michigan returned the favor this year. In their most recent matchup in Marquette, the Rangers pushed the Wildcats to five sets but fell short in a thrilling finale. Parkside will seek their seventh all-time win over Northern Michigan in the programs' first postseason meeting.
