Northland International University

The Northland men’s volleyball team began a weekend that called for 4 matches in 2 days. This would come at the end of a challenging ‘Heart Conference’ on campus during the week.  The Pioneer men started the weekend with travel to the campus of Marquette University for a Friday pm match on March 2^nd.

The Northland International Men’s volleyball team opened the 2012 season by hosting the first Wisconsin Volleyball Conference play date. The Pioneer Athletic Center saw 8 WVC teams begin play on Saturday January 28^th.

The Pioneers ended their long ten day, five game road trip on a somewhat sour note Saturday night at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, losing 61-72.

Turnovers and poor shooting plagued the Northland men's basketball team Saturday night as the Pioneers fell to Lakeland College, 97-67 at Woltzen Gymnasium in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Seth Quirey nailed a three from the left wing on the first play of the Northland men's game against Davis College Tuesday night and the Pioneers held on to that lead for the remainder of the game.

The Pioneer men played hard and stuck with one of the best teams in the country Thursday night against Valley Forge Christian College in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Northland International University sophomore guard Katelyn Matthai won the NCCAA national Student-Athlete of the Week award for her play during the week of Nov. 28-Dec. 4.

In their only home match of the first semester the NIU MVB hosted the Michigan Tech Huskies on Monday December 5^th at the Pioneer Athletic Center. The Huskies were coming off a good finish of a preseason tournament and the Pioneer men had played one tournament as well.

The Northland International University women’s basketball team ended a long winless drought in style this weekend, capturing consecutive victories against regional opponents in the NCCAA II Midwest Tip-off Tournament hosted at Northland.

The Northland men’s volleyball team began their competitive season with a Wisconsin Volleyball Pre-Season tournament at Lakeland College. The Pioneer men competed in the DII section of this tournament that had 6 of the 8 WVC teams competing.

The 2012 calendar is just around the corner and with it brings another season for the Northland Men’s volleyball program. The team will enter its 12^th season in the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference.

As the 2011-2012 Season approaches for Northland International Pioneer’s basketball season one word comes to mind—potential.  The Pioneers finished strong last season, beating two National tournament teams [North Central and Faith Baptist Bible College] in the last month of the season before being knocked out by eventual National Champion Grace Bible in the Midwest Regional semi-finals.

The 2011 Women’s Volleyball Season opened with some questions about how the team would fare competitively. It ended its season Saturday, October 29th in Watertown, Wisconsin having some questions answered and hope for the seasons ahead.

The 2011 women’s volleyball team ended a long season of ups and downs on a positive note. “The odd thing about this is that we won 70 sets and lost 70 sets which is a commentary of how our season went. We are glad we didn’t lose any more but wish we could have won a few more as well,” Coach Herron commented. The last week of the season saw Northland host Finlandia University, Cardinal Stritch and Gogebic Community.

The Northland women’s volleyball team has progressed along with hard work and a diligence to learn. For the first week in a long season the team stood at the brink of winning all their matches

The 2011 Women’s Volleyball team made their final regular season trip through the Upper Peninsula and down to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Every coach of every team has to find ways to explain ‘when you don’t win’. Not coming out on the winning side of the scoreboard to the casual observer is often the definitive statement about winning and losing. It is not always the measurement though for success. The Northland women’s volleyball team is struggling through a ‘losing season’ record wise; but is making progress toward being a competitive unit.

After a week off from competition for ‘Student Heart Conference’ the Lady Pioneers made their annual trip to the Archer Invite in Chicago at Moody Bible Institute.

The Northland women’s volleyball team went on the road this past Tuesday looking for some strong play but ran into the Samson’s of Gogebic Community College.

A solid performance by the Lady Pioneers on Tuesday fell short as the Crusaders from Maranatha edged out a 4-2 victory. Junior forward Karis Rogers rose to the occasion scoring all three of Maranatha’s second half goals in a three minute span to help seal the win.

The Northland WVB team is on a streak, but it is not a good one. After a close win against UW Marinette on Tuesday 9/6 (21-25/19-25/25-18/25-10/16-14) the Lady Pioneer’s entertained 4 teams on campus over Friday/Saturday 9/9-10.

Opening their season with three games on three consecutive days was no easy task, but the Lady Pioneers came through with solid performances and went 2-1 over the weekend. The Ladies’ season opened with a stiff test at a revitalized Lakeland College on Thursday.

The Northland men’s soccer team started off the 2011 campaign with a convincing win over a revitalized Great Lakes Christian College side on Friday riding four second half goals to secure the win.

As new students began to arrive on campus at Northland International University the WVB team headed out on Wed. afternoon 8/31. This would be the second long journey for the Lady Pioneers; this time toward the west as they headed into Dubuque and Ankeny Iowa.

Having only lost two starting seniors and adding a plethora of incoming talent, the Northland Women’s Soccer program is setting the bar high for itself this year. First year head coach Nathan Chatfield had this to say, “The team as a whole really seems to be embracing the challenge of this year. We have more overall talent than we’ve had in recent years and we’re looking to mix that talent with a workers mindset and maximize our potential for this upcoming season.”

As the 2010-2011 school year ended, the Northland International University Athletic Department was facing a challenge of finding a new Women’s Soccer Coach.

Coaches Dave and Barb Herron enter their 17^th season at Northland International University. They welcome back a good core of returners and anticipate the strength of some newcomers. Captains Ellie Hodak (Sr), Elizabeth Leeds (Jr) and Melissa Moissant (Jr) will lead the way for the NIU team that began on August 20^th. The team will participate in ‘3 a day’ training sessions before beginning competition on Thursday August 25^th in the Chicago area. They then move onto the GLCC Invite in Lansing/MI for the weekend.

Representing Northland International Athletic department the women’s volleyball team began their season with a trip through Chicago and then onto Lower MI from Wed. 8/24 through Sat. 8/27.

The MVB team from Northland International entered the 2011 Wisconsin Volleyball Conference State Tournament as the #3 seed. Based on their season performance on the Conference play dates; the Pioneer’s came into the weekend at UW Oshkosh behind UW Green Bay/St Norbert and host UW Oshkosh. “We had some rhythm problems in mid-season but this was the end of our season and we wanted to play well,” commented Senior Captain Andrew Schilling. Coach Herron encouraged his team with the thought that God can certainly use this event to honor Him but “let’s not complicate that by not doing our part!”

The NIU men’s volleyball team played their last regular season match before the WVC State tournament in a home match at the Pioneer Athletic Center on Tuesday night March 29^th. They hosted the Huskies from Michigan Tech who had just come off their conference tournament this past weekend. Coach Herron commented, “I can only judge and encourage our commitment to play. I am concerned with a concentrated effort from my group and that is all I can control!” The Pioneer men took the match by scores of 25-21/25-23/25-17. Prior to the feature game between the Varsity teams the ‘B’ groups played. Coach Barb Herron took her team to a victorious 23-25/25-18 and 15-9 win. This was the programs ‘Aloha Match’ where Coach Herron and the school said goodbye to the seniors and graduating players. Those that will not be playing again at NIU are Isaac Cummins, Justin Delizo, Travis Jacobs, Andrew Schilling, Stephen Yates, Stephen Jesperson and Micah Herron. As a note Micah appears to be the last relative to Coach Herron to be in the NIU line-up. For the past 14 years Coach Herron has had a son, daughter, nephew or niece in the lineup. Coach Herron encouraged the departing players with a word from the Scriptures; I Samuel 12:24- “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you."

After hosting Lakeland College on a Thursday night, the NI team traveled south to the Milwaukee area for a tri-match with UWGB and host Concordia University in Glendale, Wisconsin. On Friday evening, March 11, the Pioneers entered the Buuck Fieldhouse for the first time ever. “We appeared weary, but that is part of it. We need to be ready all the times; concentration and execution is not just a switch you flip on as a competitor,” mentioned Coach Herron. 

The NI men’s volleyball team hosted the Lakeland College Muskies just one week after they traveled to Sheboygan. A week ago the Pioneers took a 3–1 match at Lakeland. “I wasn’t sure which LC team would show up, but I knew Coach Schreiber would have his team ready to play. They are a good program with some competitive pride,” mentioned Coach Herron before the match. The Pioneers had come off a long weekend with no play and three days to rest. It appeared that the NI side had more energy for the night. The Pioneers hit an amazing .403 and had 5 aces and 6 solo blocks for the match. The match went to NI with scores of 25–12, 25–20, and 25–18. 

The NI men’s volleyball team played four matches in two days after their trip to MTU on Thursday, February 24. The Pioneers entertained UW Stout and Moody on Friday, February 25, and then battled Moodyand UWGB on Saturday, February 26. “The scheduling was intentional, not meant to be problematic. These matches are on our schedule to test our resolve mentally/ emotionally and our reserve physically. They are meant to drive us together, not apart!” commented Coach Herron.
 

The NI men’s volleyball team traveled to Houghton for a matchup with the MTU Huskies. These matches between MTU and NI have always been well contested with a great healthy rivalry. Micah Herron a senior captain commented, “We just enjoy playing them because we know they are going to bring it, and we have to be ready as well. As soon as the match is over though we are able to converse and appreciate each other’s efforts.” 

The NI men’s volleyball team traveled to the UW-Oshkosh campus on Tuesday, February 22, for a nonconference, midweek match. The Titans had just defeated the Pioneers in the second round play date a few days earlier to capture their tenth consecutive WVC regular season championship. 

The Pioneers concluded their regular season Saturday afternoon with a solid victory over the Eagles of Faith Baptist Bible College, 73–65.  Faith came into the game on an eleven-game winning streak.

The second round of the WVC season tournament provided for a tough matchup for the NI men’s volleyball team. The Pioneers needed to play UW-Oshkosh and then turn around and battle UWGB on the same day. “It is what the schedule called for, and we needed to be ready to meet the demands of competition—regardless of who that calls for,” commented Coach Herron. The WVC event was at the Kress Center on the campus of UW Green Bay on Saturday, February 19. 

The Northland Pioneers came out hot Friday night as they extinguished the #3 ranked team in the NCCAA, 86–76. NI had previously lost to North Central on the road on February 4 in overtime.

The Northland men’s basketball team could not complete the season sweep of Finlandia University last night. Finlandia came out determined to win and ousted the Pioneers, 59–72. The loss for Northland drops their record to 8–15 on the season, while Finlandia improves to 6–17.

The NI men’s volleyball team ended a week-long, home-game stand that had matches on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. The Pioneers ended the week with a 1–2 record. On Friday NI hosted 2010 Conference champion UW-Oshkosh. NI battled UWO in last season’s WVC Conference final last April. “We always know that the Titans will be strong, skilled, and self-confident. They are a good program with good players who know how to play and play well,”commented Coach Herron prior to the match. The Pioneers are still looking for some rhythm in their offense and deciding on a strong rotation.

The Northland International University men’s basketball team put together one of its paramount performances of the season last night as they upended the Finlandia Lions, 81–59.  The Pioneers (8–14, 4–5 NCCAA) took care of business on both ends of the floor and played with a passion and effort that had been lacking in games prior.   

The NI men’s volleyball program hosted the UWGB men’s volleyball team on Tuesday, February 8, in a home contest at the Pioneer Athletic Center. NI lost the match in four sets: 25–20, 24–26, 20–25, and 18–25. “It appeared that UWGB walked in with some of the confidence overflowing from the Lambeau Stadium crowd down in Green Bay,” commented Coach Herron

The NI men’s volleyball program made their annual trip to the Chicago area for their match with Moody Bible Institute. After watching the Stanford/Lewis University men’s match on Friday, February 4, they took their game and motivation to play over to the Archer’s court on Saturday, February 5, for 10 a.m. and 12 noon matches.

The NI men’s volleyball team hosted the first DII Wisconsin Volleyball Conference play date on Saturday, January 29, at the Pioneer Athletic Center. The Pioneer men entered this season as a strong finisher from last season. Coach Herron commented prior to play, “We had a good season last year, but that is history—this is a new year with new challenges.” Some of the challenges are a new quarterback at the setter position with Justin Delizo and Travis Jacobs. Other issues include a new MH in Andrew Summers, untested talent in the OH positions, and an injury to the best hitter for NI in Micah Herron. Coach Herron continued, “I really was unsure of how we would play, but I was sure that we needed to play and test the waters. It was a good start for us, and I saw some good things and also some issues we need to work out.” 

After a successful preseason at the end of the 2010 calendar, the Pioneer men’s volleyball season begins play in the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference this Saturday, January 29, 2011. NI played two matches at the end of the first semester with an away/home match against Michigan Tech University. They were fortunate to win both of those, but Coach Herron approaches conference play cautiously. “We are not the same team we were even four to six weeks ago. We had one key player not return, one key player who is on the medically unable to perform list, and some unproven players in the lineup. We had a very good team last season but also lost some good players. The fact that we were in the WVC Championship match last season has a nice big bulls-eye on the back and front of our jerseys!”  

Stats taken by Jon Egan and Michael Stephansen

Uploaded by Julie Wingreen

The Northland Pioneers held off a feisty UW-Marinette team Tuesday night, winning by a score of 61–56.   

The Pioneers fell behind early and found themselves down twenty-three points with only ten minutes remaining in the game.

The Pioneers traveled five hours to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to match up with the #1 ranked Grace Bible College Tigers. Grace has won a consecutive forty-five games against NCCAA teams and back-to-back national championships, and they showed Northland that they would continue their streak tonight.Although the Pioneers gave the Tigers a game, Grace came out on top 73–66.

The Pioneer men’s basketball team returned back to action on Tuesday after not playing a game for thirty-four days. Northland traveled to Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, Iowa, for a midwest regional matchup. The Pioneers were anxious to get back on the court and were ready to play.

To say that the NI Lady Pioneer basketball team is not off to their typical first semester start would be an incredible understatement. A team that has enjoyed success the first half of the season has struggled with injuries and youthful transition to head into Christmas break with a 1–6 record. However, keeping everything in perspective, there is much to be encouraged about.

Three days after battling the MTU Huskies in Houghton the NI Pioneers welcomed them back into their own Athletic Center. The scores were close on Monday, November 29, when the Pioneers took a 3–1 match win, and Coach Herron expected another close match. “The Huskies come ready to play each and every time, and if we do anything less, we will not be successful. We don’t have size physically, so we have to play with a big heart! We do not have anyone that can dominate a game by themselves, so playing hard together is a positive way toward success,” Coach Herron commented afterward. 

Despite another cold shooting night, Northland was able to play well enough for the victory, 70–63, over great Lakes behind a key performance from senior Stephen Mee. Mee scored 14 of his 16 total points in the opening frame and was instrumental in guiding the Pioneers to their third win of the season and second in a row.

The 2010-11 season for the Northland International Men’s Volleyball team began at the Michigan Tech Husky campus on Monday, November 29^th. This was the first match for this year’s group of players. Coach Herron had a couple of key starters graduate and move on from a team that was in the Finals of the DII Championship of the Wisconsin Volleyball Conference in 2010

“We knew going in that learning a new offense with a new team would be a learning process,” according to head coach Pete Wehry. This was true again Tuesday night as the Pioneers took another tough loss; this time to Silver Lake College, 79–68.

The Northland Lady Pioneer basketball team opened the 2010–11 season on Saturday night, looking as inexperienced as the roster reflected and losing 61–40 to the visiting Andrews University Cardinals. Despite the slow start that resulted in a lopsided first half, the Northland team showed improvement and increasing chemistry in the second half to provide the team with promise heading into a busy stretch before Thanksgiving break.

The young Northland squad suffered its first home loss of the season, 72–64, on Saturday night to a determined and disciplined Andrews University team on Saturday night at the Pioneer Athletic Center.  The Pioneers made a furious comeback trailing by 16 in the second half, and they actually tied the game at 53 around the seven-minute mark. Seth Quirey poured in 28 points for Northland, and Jon Conover added 14 points for the Pioneers. Andrews University was led by Ryan Little’s 37 points. Little had 22 first half points, including a 4-for-4 performance from behind the arc. 

The NI women’s volleyball team entered the Midwest Regional Tournament as the #4 seed in a field of seven that included three teams in the NCCAA DII National top ten. The midwest region is an extremely tough region of play at tournament time. Lincoln Christian University (#6), Moody Bible Institute (#5), and Maranatha Baptist Bible College (#4) all present a roadblock to the MWR Title. 

 The Lady Pioneer women’s volleyball team entered the past weekend knowing the task ahead of them would be demanding. Over a two-day schedule, NI would have to play five matches—all a 3/5 format. Coach Herron commented. “Perhaps it was optimistic scheduling, but I felt like these dates and opponents would prep us for the MWR tournament next weekend. I was hopeful we would be better at the end of the weekend than the beginning.”   

The game can be summed up in two words: Josh Conover. Conover had a ridiculous five-goal performance, propelling the Pioneers to a 5–1 win over the Regents from Rockford College.

There were plenty of goals to keep the fans around during a downpour today as the Pioneers took on the Yellow Jackets from UW-Superior. But it was Superior who came from behind twice to steal a win on the road, defeating Northland 5–4 in overtime.

On Tuesday, October 19, the Lady Pioneer women’s volleyball team hosted the Lions of Finlandia University. Coach Herron offered before the match, “Finlandia is a talented, well-coached group. They play a very aggressive schedule and are always ready to compete. They have one of the best players we play against all year in Rostello. We had better be ready.” 

 The Lady Pioneers had a week that began with a battle with a Buccaneer and ended with a Samson. On Tuesday, October 14, NI played a home match against UW Marinette at the Pioneer Athletic Center. The Pioneers were coming off a tough weekend in Milwaukee where matches were lost to MBBC (0–3) and Mt Mary College (1–3), while surviving a four-set win against Kuyper College (3–1). “We were very weary from three straight weeks of travel. Our desire to compete was not strong enough to overcome physical issues—no excuse!” said Coach Herron.   

 Thursday afternoon may have been a cold and rainy day in the rest of north eastern Wisconsin, but the soccer field at NI was alive and on fire as the Lady Pioneers soccer team beat Mt. Mary College 11–0. 

 On a cold, windy day in Houghton, Michigan, the Pioneers defeated the Lions of Finlandia University by a final score of 11–0.

 The spirit on NI’s campus was high as the Lady Pioneer soccer team headed to Watertown, Wisconsin, to play rival Maranatha Baptist Bible College. While the home team definitely came out on top on the score board, the play on the pitch was much more even.

On Friday the Lady Pioneers struggled through the second game of their three-game weekend. “We have been challenged over and over to come to the field focused on the right objectives and to continue that focus until the final whistle is blown. Today north Central helped us understand why,” commented Coach Casteel.

 The men’s soccer team put forward a strong performance in Minneapolis this past weekend, defeating several quality opponents, including the #2 ranked team in the NCCAA Div. II.

The Northland International women’s volleyball team left for a long weekend on Thursday, September 30, and returned on Sunday, October 3. The team played five matches in three days. Coach Herron commented, “We grew a little this weekend as a team and that was good. We won the one we should have, lost one we could have won, and would have done better in another if we had been engaged better!” 

Once again, the Pioneers are on the road. The ladies have traveled to Minnesota to face a three-game weekend against North Central University, Providence College, and Faith Bible College.  

The Northland International women’s volleyball team is on a three-match “losing skid” that they hope to correct quickly. Coach Herron noted, “I knew entering this part of our schedule that we would be challenged. I also knew that there would be teams we could be successful against with a concerted, committed effort. I guess that is what my struggle is. I cannot own success more than the players’ desire to! The pressure of competition is sometimes unkind to the inexperienced and insecure athlete.” 

After playing three games in four days, two of which were overtime games, the Northland men’s soccer team returned home having secured two wins and a loss.

 The location was Grace Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the objective was to compete in 180 minutes of soccer in one day. “We had not played two matches in one day up to this point, so I wasn’t sure how the girls would respond . . . especially after traveling eight hours the day before. But I was pleased with the stamina that the girls displayed” expressed Coach Casteel.    

The Northland International women’s volleyball team rebounded this past week with a pair of victories, including a big win over inter-regional opponent North Central University. The Lady Pioneers are improving with each week and hope to continue as they enter the middle of the season. 

A strong opening and an early goal by Josh Conover were not enough for the Pioneers on Saturday as the Wolves from Cardinal Stritch rallied to score five unanswered and record a 5–2 win.

 The Lady Pioneers were able to find the net seven times as they soundly defeated Mt. Mary 7–0 today.

The Pioneers were able to find the back of the net thirteen times as they dismantled a young Kuyper squad. Daniel scored four, with Luke Ortler and Josh Conover chipping in with three apiece.  

The ladies from Northland were outmatched this past weekend as they were downed by the Yellow Jackets from UW Superior 6–1.

The wet conditions ended up being a determining factor as Daniel Doran’s eightieth-minute shot slipped through the arms of the Moody goalkeeper, securing a 2–1 victory for Northland.

The women’s volleyball team entered the first week of classes and the tougher part of their schedule. Coach Herron commented, “I had some anxiety on how we would adjust to the daily academic demands on top of match play. That is part of being a student-athlete, and we must deal with it.” The Lady Pioneers traveled to Alverno College on Wednesday, September 8, for a trimatch with the host and Lawrence University. NI then hosted UW-Marathon in the first home match for the Pioneer campus. 

Ruckus crowd and driving wind put aside, Northland was simply too careless with the ball on Tuesday as they suffered their first loss of the year at Maranatha, 6–4.

 The women’s volleyball team spent another long weekend on the road in competition. They began their trip on Wednesday, September 1, traveling toward Dubuque, Iowa. They played at Emmaus College on Thursday, September 2, and continued their travel to Faith Baptist Bible College for the Spikefest at the Eagles’ gym on Friday and Saturday. Coach Herron commented, “I know the team is weary, but we need to play these events before classes start and to give us some good competition to solidify our group effort.” 

The Pioneers continued their great start to the season as they defeated Wisconsin Lutheran, the host team, in the finale of the Warrior Cup tonight by 3–2 in overtime. Northland started the tournament off on a great note as they downed Carroll University 4–2 yesterday. This was Northland’s first victory over an NCAA III top twenty-five opponent in school history; but it was back to the grind tonight as they battled a strong and hungry Wisconsin Lutheran side.

The Lady Pioneers of Northland got their season started off on the right note with a solid win, 3–2, over Rockford College on Thursday.

A cool and windy day was the setting for huge, early season win for the Pioneers. Led by senior captain Daniel Doran, Northland was able to tally four times in the second half to secure the victory against Carroll University who is currently ranked 23^rd in the NCAA Division 3.

On a hot and muggy day in northern Chicago, the Northland men’s soccer team defeated Robert Morris Lake County by a final score of 2–1.

The men’s soccer team opened the season with a convincing home victory  of 17–0 over regional opponent Lincoln Christian College.

 The 2010 women’s volleyball team opened the competitive part of their schedule with an extended road trip that called for four matches in three days. The trip started on Wednesday, August 25, with a travel day and then matches on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. 

The 2010 women’s volleyball team opened up the preseason with a trip into the Sylvania Wilderness area of the Ottawa National Forest. Coach Herron invited seven returners to participate in a thirty-mile backpack/hike/canoe over the course of four days and three nights.  

The Northland International University men’s soccer program started off its year with a somewhat unusual “preseason.” A team comprised of returners and incoming freshmen were led by head coach Andrew Scott on a seventeen-day mission trip to the country of Uruguay.