SEASON FINALE
The Wayne State University volleyball team (12-13, 8-9 GLIAC) will wrap up the 2011 regular season this weekend in the Upper Peninsula, taking on Northern Michigan (14-11, 11-5 GLIAC) on Friday at Michigan Tech (2-22, 0-16 GLIAC) on Saturday.

Still fighting for a playoff spot, Wayne State is coming off a three-set loss Tuesday night at Findlay.  Northern Michigan snapped a five-match losing streak last weekend with wins over Lake Superior State and Northwood.  Michigan Tech has just two wins all season, which came Labor Day Weekend at the St. Joseph's Invitational.

The GLIAC Tournament begins next Thursday.  Wayne State is tied with Findlay for third place in the South Division.


AT THE HELM
Phil Nickel is in his fourth season as Wayne State's head volleyball coach and has a record of 63-46.  In his six-year career, which includes two seasons at Thomas More College, Nickel is 97-89.

Dominic Yoder, who is 95-54 in five seasons at Northern Michigan, has a career record of 120-58 including one season at Cameron University.  Orlando Gonzalez is 21-58 in three years at MTU and 40-116 in his career, including three years at Rutgers University.


SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State snapped a 26-match losing streak against Northern Michigan with a 3-1 victory last November at the Matthaei, a win which clinched home-court advantage for the Warriors in the quarterfinals of the 2010 GLIAC Tournament.  WSU's last win in Marquette was Sept. 7, 1990.

The Warriors shut out the Huskies last year in Detroit and have won four of the last seven meetings.


SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Northern Michigan, which has made it to the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years, enters the weekend in third place in the North Division with matches against Findlay and Hillsdale following Friday's bout with the Warriors.

Senior Emma Wolfe leads the Wildcats averaging 3.61 kills per set, sixth-best in the GLIAC, and junior setter Abby Lovell boasts the third-highest assists average (10.22) in the conference.

Two years removed from an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Michigan Tech has struggled mightily in 2011, having lost 20 matches in a row coming into Friday's match with Hillsdale.  MTU has five players with over 100 kills this season, including sophomore Jordanna Kero who has a team-high 150 kills.


TUESDAY RECAP
Wayne State lost in three sets at Findlay on Tuesday night at Croy Gymnasium.  The Oilers swept the match, albeit by narrow margins (25-23, 25-21, 32-30) to win their ninth straight match and snap a seven-match skid against Wayne State.

Nicole Arends finished with eight kills and three blocks.  Morgan Dickerson totaled a season-high nine kills, and Kristen Bulkiewicz had 11 kills and 10 digs for her 12th double-double of the year and her fourth in five matches.

Candice Ottey hit .312 with seven kills, and Cydney Biessel collected 32 assists.


WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
Bulkiewicz has made 1,023 attack attempts this season, the most by a Warrior since Megan Smolen in 2003 (1,061).  She also became the 26th player in school history to reach 500 career kills.

Lindsey Graciak eclipsed the 1,000-dig mark for her career, the 11th player in program history to do so.  She remains the GLIAC leader in digs per set this season (4.86) and is on pace for the third-best average at WSU.

With 2,947 career assists, Biessel is close to becoming just the third setter in WSU history to reach 3,000 assists.  Only Amy Horgan (4,097; 1997-2000) and Tracy Ganger (5,136; 1992-95) have more.