Huskies sweep a pair Saturday

Huskies sweep a pair Saturday

KENOSHA, Wis. – The No. 19-ranked Michigan Tech volleyball team finished its weekend at the Hampton Inn Invitational with a pair of sweeps Saturday (Sept. 3). The Huskies defeated Illinois Springfield in the morning and earned their sixth sweep of the season in the evening over Minnesota Crookston.

"I'm certainly very pleased with the way we bounced back today," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "We accomplished what we wanted to do out there and stayed together as a unit to finish it out.

"We've got a lot of work to do still as a team, and I'd like to see us be better at some of the small things, but generally speaking, we played well today in both matches. We'll continue to grow as a team as we make our way this season. I'm fully confident of that."

Michigan Tech 3, Illinois Springfield 0

The Huskies swept the Prairie Stars 25-19, 25-23, and 25-18. Tech never trailed in the first set with three different players tallying three kills. There were 14 ties and 11 lead changes in the second. Janie Grindland and Meg Raabe teamed up on a block for the last point. Jillian Kuizenga racked up five kills in the third to finish off the sweep.

Kuizenga finished with 10 kills and hit .450. Lindy Oujiri also added 10 kills while Grindland added nine kills and two aces. Lina Espejo-Ramirez set the offense with 31 assists. Kate Walch, Grace Novotny, and Beyer had 10 digs.

Michigan Tech 3, Minnesota Crookston 0

The Huskies edged the Golden Eagles 25-15, 25-22, and 25-18. Meg Raabe had five kills in the first set. The Black and Gold scored the final six points and 12 of the last 14 points to take the lead. Tech trailed 20-15 in the second before closing on a 10-2 run to lead 2-0. The Huskies built a seven-point lead and a pair of late kills by Lauren Richards and an ace by Carissa Beyer gave Tech the win.

Raabe led the Huskies with 12 kills and Kuizenga finished with 10 against UMC. Espejo-Ramirez registered 31 assists and Beyer finished with 16 digs.

Tech hosts Davenport and Grand Valley next weekend at the SDC Gym to open conference play and begin a four-match home stand.

"As we wrap up a pretty successful pre-conference schedule, we turn our attention to what is going to be a very challenging opening weekend of GLIAC play," said Jennings. "Davenport and Grand Valley are the real deal, and we're going to do our best to prepare for what should be a really exciting home opening weekend."

The Huskies host the Panthers at 6 p.m. Friday and the Lakers at 3 p.m. Saturday.