Huskies sweep weekend with comeback win

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HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Parkside 3-1 Saturday (Oct. 7) at the SDC Gym. UWP won the first set 26-24 before the Huskies rebounded 25-23, 25-20, and 25-20 to win the third of their last four and improve to 7-10 overall and 5-4 in the GLIAC.

"I'm super happy with the way we played and the outcome. The way we played is what I'm most proud of," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "We had a tough week last week, and I'm proud of the way we committed to improving this week in practice. The win is important for standings but also for comfort and momentum. We wanted to end the first half of the season on a high note."

The teams battled through nine ties and four different lead changes in the opening set. Meg Raabe, Lindy Oujiri, and Tricia Kennedy all had at least three kills. The Rangers got to setpoint on a kill by Ava Irwin. An error by the visitors tied it at 24 before Parkside put away the final two points with a kill and an ace.

Tech rebounded in the second set with a 9-1 run to take a seven-point lead. The Rangers made a run to cut the margin down to one. Rachel Zurek and Meg Raabe had late kills, and Kaycee Meiners put down the final point to tie the match. Lindy Oujiri found her groove in the second with six kills.

Parkside (10-7, 5-4 GLIAC) led for most of the third before Tech closed on a 9-3 run to seal the win. The Huskies forced Parkside into 10 errors and had four blocks in the third. Meg Raabe put down five kills, including the winner.

The Huskies used a 5-0 run early in the fourth to take the lead for good. The Huskies held the Rangers to .067 hitting percentage and got kills from five different players. Rachel Zurek had a pair of late kills and Kaycee Meiners finished off the match.

Tess Hayes set a new season-high with 54 assists. Lindy Oujiri led a balanced offensive attack with 17 kills. Kaycee Meiners and Rachel Zurek were also in double figures with 10 kills and Tricia Kennedy added seven.

"Lindy had a spectacular weekend, and Tess was the catalyst with the best weekend of her young career," added Jennings.

Tech had a season-high 84 digs with Alayna Corwin (21), Amelia Albers (18), Brynn Erickson (13), Brooke Dzwik (12), and Tess Hayes (12) all hitting double figures.

Tech hits the road for the next three and a half weeks, beginning with the Midwest Regional Crossover in Hammond, Indiana next weekend. The Huskies will play three matches. The full schedule will be announced on Monday.