Volleyball Shuts Down SVSU for GLIAC Weekend Sweep

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team picked up its second 3-0 sweep of the weekend, this time over Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (Sept. 17). The Huskies won 25-17, 25-17, and 25-21 to move to 5-5 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC.

"We played a pretty clean, aggressive match today against a strong Saginaw squad that is capable of putting up big numbers," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "Frankly, we beat them with our speed, which was possible because of our passing and ball control."

The Huskies had to climb out of an early 7-3 deficit in the first set, quickly tying it at eight. Tech gained control late in the frame and closed it out with kills by Lauren Emmert, Aubrey Ficek, and Mariah Sherman and a pair of service aces from Rachel Pohlod.

The Black and Gold controlled the second set early, taking a 12-4 lead. A pair of kills by MacAulay Petersen gave Tech a 2-0 lead going into the break.

The Huskies were down 18-17 in the third but scored eight of the final 11 points to win their second match of the weekend.

"Maybe the most impressive part of today's win was how we were improving each set, seemingly each play," added Jennings. "Rachel was fabulous and really got our offense going. By midway through set two, we were rolling. Elle and Halie led our backcourt with a great defensive effort and sharp serve receive. Stephanie and Lauren were once again, our anchors at the net."

Ficek led the offense with 14 kills while Petersen finished with nine. Stephanie Dietrich had five kills and four block assists. Pohlod finished the day with 40 assists and Halie Hart (22) and Elle Heinonen (17) led in digs.

The Huskies had more kills (43-34), digs (68-65) and blocks (11-1) than the Cardinals to control the match. Tech had a .248 attack percentage compared to SVSU's .120.

SVSU (4-6, 0-2 GLIAC) was led offensively by Kaylee Schmitt with 15 kills. Four players had double-digit digs and Hannah Tabit (19 assists) and Kelly Vellucci (11 assists) set up the offense at the setter position.

Tech returns to the road for a pair of GLIAC matches in Ohio next weekend. The Huskies play at Ashland Friday (Sept. 23) and at Tiffin Saturday (Sept. 24).

"This is a great way to begin GLIAC play," said Jennings. "We need to keep improving each week. I'm excited to get back to work in practice as we prep for two more tough road matches in Ohio."