MARQUETTE, MICH. — Despite a hard-fought effort, the Parkside volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to Northern Michigan on Friday night at Vandament Arena. The Wildcats took the match 3–2 (26–24, 17–25, 13–25, 25–21, 15–7), handing the Rangers their first loss of the season. 

Northern Michigan edged the Rangers in the opening set, 26-24, despite three service aces from Lucy Russ. Parkside responded in the second, holding the Wildcats to a .000 hitting percentage in a 25-17 win, and then carried that momentum into the third, hitting .300 with a 64% sideout rate while limiting NMU to -.032 in a dominant 25-13 victory. The Wildcats answered in the fourth, swinging .409 to claim a 25-21 win and force a decisive fifth set, where they closed out the match with a 15-7 victory to hand Parkside its first loss of the season.

Lucy Russ continued her strong start to the season, recording her eighth double-double with 38 assists and 12 digs, while also contributing three service aces. Libero Natalie Harris anchored the back row with a match-high 26 digs and added five aces of her own from the service line. At the net, Mariena Coon was efficient with six kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while also collecting four digs and three blocks. Sam Fisch led the Rangers offensively, finishing with 18 kills on a .256 clip to go along with two blocks.

The Rangers will look to bounce back tomorrow when they take on Michigan Tech, with first serve set for 1:00 p.m. CT

For all things Parkside Volleyball and links to live coverage, please visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.