Huskies drop UP Open match to No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul

MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball began its weekend in Marquette at the UP Open with a 3-1 loss to No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul on Friday (Sept. 1). Tech won the third set 27-25 with the Golden Bears winning overall 25-22, 25-20, and 25-15.

"We fought hard and played as a team out there today," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "I was impressed with our resilience given the emotions of last night. Brooke played six rotations with a lot of heart and did a good job all match. We kept it close with the best team in the nation, and the third-set comeback win was a high point for sure."

There were 11 ties and four lead changes in the third. Tech trailed 21-18 before scoring four straight and six of the next seven to take a late lead. Tess Hayes made it setpoint with an ace and the Huskies got the win with a Rachel Zurek kill and a Tricia Kennedy block. Zurek and Lindy Oujiri combined for four kills in the set.

The Golden Bears hit .314 in the fourth and only allowed six kills by the Huskies to close out the win and remain undefeated on the young season.

"Part of this schedule was to expose our young team to the best competition available," added Jennings. "At one point, with three starters out with injury, we had four freshmen and two sophomores out there at once. With that said, Kaycee and Lindy have been solid these first two matches and we're fortunate to have them on our side. Their leadership and experience really shows."

Four different Huskies registered at least four kills with Lindy Oujiri (12) and Kaycee Meiners (7) leading the way. Tess Hayes set the attack with 24 assists while adding nine digs. Alayna Corwin registered 11 digs, Brooke Dzwik tallied 10 digs and five kills.

"Tess continues to show us what she's capable of doing while running the show out there," Jennings said. "She has so much poise and a lot of court smarts."

Tech wraps up the opening weekend with a pair of matches on Saturday at Vandament Arena. The Huskies play Minnesota Crookston at 11:30 a.m. and Hillsdale at 4:30 p.m.