Eastern Wayne Today

The Wayne State University women's volleyball team achieved a milestone by sweeping its Upper Peninsula road trip for the first time in over nine years. The Warriors improved their season record to 16-4 overall and 8-2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) after defeating Northern Michigan University in five sets on Saturday at Vandament Arena.

Despite trailing two sets to one, Wayne State came back to win the final two sets, remaining undefeated at 4-0 in five-set matches this season. Head coach Tim Koth commented on the team's resilience: "Tough match today against a NMU team that has been playing very good volleyball of late. I'm proud of the way our team worked through and found a way to win in a tough environment. Individually, Kayla Giroux was dominant both offensively and defensively at the net, and Leigha (Baldwin) really stepped up big today when we needed offense the most. Proud of our Warriors!!"

Wayne State recorded a .274 hitting percentage with 69 kills and limited errors throughout the match. Senior Kayla Giroux led with 20 kills—her seventh career match reaching that mark—and contributed eight blocks, six of them solo efforts. Leigha Baldwin added 15 kills with an efficient .522 hitting percentage, while Paige Giehtbrock and Lauren Essenpreis chipped in 13 and 10 kills respectively.

Setter Kayla Dulgar tallied 56 assists—her fifth match this fall surpassing the 50-assist mark—and also served three aces during the contest.

Defensively, Essenpreis led with a team-high 21 digs for her third double-double of the season; Giehtbrock followed with her fifth double-double effort this year, totaling 14 digs.

Wayne State will return home for its next match after nearly three weeks away, hosting nationally ranked Ferris State on Halloween night at Matthaei Center.