Huskies sweep Wildcats to advance in GLIAC Tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Northern Michigan (12-16,9-8) | 22 | 14 | 15 | 0 |
|
Michigan Tech (13-15,9-8) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team advanced to the semifinal round of the GLIAC Tournament for the seventh straight season after a 3-0 sweep of Northern Michigan Wednesday at the SDC Gym. The Huskies won 25-22, 25-14, and 25-15 to beat the Wildcats for the first time this season.
With the victory, the Huskies have now defeated every team in the GLIAC at least once this season. Tech will play GLIAC top seed and No. 25-ranked Grand Valley State on Saturday.
"This was the best win of the year," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "Not just the outcome and consequence, but the way we played from start to finish. This was a team that we hadn't beaten yet, they have some weapons we needed to manage, and we are all aware of what happened the last time we played them. We knew it was the season on the line, and I couldn't be more proud of the way our team responded today."
Tech jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never trailed in the opening set. NMU used a 9-1 run to make it a one-point match at 19-18, but the teams traded points down the stretch and the Huskies pulled it out. Meg Raabe had the final point for the home team as she pounded down 10 kills and the team hit .357 in the first.
The Huskies built an eight-point lead in the second and then took a 2-0 lead after a 6-1 run to finish it before the break. Five different Huskies had at least a pair of kills as the Huskies hit .524 and forced NMU into -.077.
Tech again built a seven-point lead in the third before NMU showed late life, cutting it down to a four-point match. The Huskies scored seven of the final eight points and turned to senior captain Lindy Oujiri to end a long rally at setpoint. She put down the kill for her final point at the SDC Gym. Meg Raabe had seven kills in the third and Oujiri added five.
"I'm super proud of Lindy," Jennings added. "She's had a great career here and has been an important part of our team. To see her come through today to extend her season means a lot to her, to me, and to her teammates."
Meg Raabe had a match-high 20 kills while hitting .543. She has racked up 20 kills in three of her last five matches.
"She's a special player who is just good at volleyball," said Jennings. "She's smart and coachable and the kind of kid you want on your team. She's only a sophomore and has a lot of good volleyball ahead of her."
Lindy Oujiri was the only other player with double-digit kills with 10. Kaycee Meiners and Rachel Zurek combined for 13 kills. Tess Hayes set the offense with 35 assists and added 10 digs. Amelia Albers tallied a match-high 12 digs.
Tech split with GVSU in the regular season, sweeping the Lakers in Houghton in September and falling 3-1 in Allendale in late October.
No. 22 Ferris State will play Parkside in the other semifinal. The Huskies and Lakers will play at 2 p.m. with the Bulldogs and Rangers meeting in the second semifinal at 4:30 p.m.
