PREVIEW: Huskies begin season at GLVC Crossover Tournament

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech begins its 2022-23 regular season in Liberty, Missouri with games Friday and Saturday against William Jewell College (host) and Lewis University. Fans can hear both games on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ and online at pasty.net. 

• (VIDEO) 2022-23 Michigan Tech Women's Basketball Season Preview

HUSKIES SEASON PREVIEW

With their entire starting lineup returning in 2021-22, including leading scorer Ellie Mackay (Novi, Michigan), expectations are once again high for Michigan Tech women's basketball this winter. Last year, head coach Sam Clayton guided the squad to an 18-11 record, including a 12-7 mark against conference foes, good for second place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division. The Huskies lacked size in the paint, but still posted 71.9 points per game (45th in Division II). Repeating as conference tournament champions proved too great a challenge however, and the Huskies fell to Grand Valley State in the GLIAC semifinals 71-57 in March. 

Competition in the midwest region looks fierce as perennial power Grand Valley State was runner-up in the GLIAC tournament. The Lakers then cruised through the midwest region tournament to the Division II final four. Ferris State (22-10, 13-7) will also be circled on the calendar after the Bulldogs won the GLIAC Tournament title before falling to Ashland in the region quarterfinals.

For MTU, offensive pedigree begins with Mackay at guard, whose four-year career highlights include 19 games of 20-plus points, back-to-back selections for All-GLIAC First Team, and GLIAC Player of the Year in 2020-21. Mackay also set a Tech single-season record last year for free throw percentage (.924) and is on pace to break Michigan Tech records for games played and career free throw percentage. Mackay became the 28th player to cross the 1,000 career point barrier. With a similar output this season, she could vault into the top-three. 

Joining Mackay is junior Alex Rondorf (West Bend, Wisconsin). Rondorf earned All-GLIAC second team and All-GLIAC defensive team honors for the first time in her career and ranked second on the team with 12.3 points per game in 26 starts at guard. Rondorf made it to double-figures on 16 occasions, including a career-high 27-point performance against Northwood (Jan. 27).  She began as a lethal 3-point threat, but has evolved as an all-court hustle type player. 

What the Huskies lacked in size and rebounding, they made up for in efficiency, finishing 12th in Division II with a 45-percent shooting percentage. Rondorf led the conference in the category after scoring on 54.7-percent from the field. Junior post Sara Dax (Kewaunee) also shot 54-percent to rank third. Look for Dax to occasionally find her range from beyond the arc as well.

In what has become an annual trend, Tech was also excellent at the free throw line. The squad converted 80-percent at the stripe, which was sixth best in Division II, and trailed only Wisconsin Parkside (80.3-percent) in the GLIAC.

With high rates of scoring and a veteran corps which thrives on taking the smart shot, the Huskies could benefit from increased possessions, a weakness addressed with the additions of forward Emma Anderson (6-2, Soph., Menominee, Mich.) and forward/center Maja Kozlowska (6-2, Fr., Gorzow Wielkopolski, Poland). Anderson transferred from Wayne State, where she appeared in 20 games with two starts in her freshman campaign. She was a two-time all-state selection at Menominee High School with an average of 19 points and eight rebounds as a senior.

Kozlowska joined the Huskies after competing for Poland's under-19 National team, where she posted 13 points and eight rebounds, helping her squad to the National Championship Tournament. Kozlowska is one of two true freshmen on the roster. Soraya Timms (East Lansing, Michigan) was an All-State honorable mention in multiple seasons at East Lansing High School. She averaged 10 points and eight assists a game as a junior and overcame injuries to lead the Trojans as a senior.

While Timms and Kozlowska establish themselves in their first year, the Huskies have high trust in newly minted team captain, junior guard Katelyn Meister (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin). Meister started 29 games and racked up 10.1 points per game, including a season-best 20 points on December 6 against Northern Michigan. She also pulled in 4.9 rebounds (third) and marked 0.8 blocks (second). Daisy Ansel (Comstock, Michigan) excelled in an expanded role last season. After playing just 1.4 minutes per game for Grand Valley State in 2019-20, Ansel saw the floor for 20.7 minutes on average at MTU with 12 starts. A crafty passer, Ansel broke out for 15 points at Purdue Northwest (Feb. 3) and took in eight rebounds on two occasions. 

Sophomore Isabella Lenz (Prescott, Wisconsin) adds to Tech's abundance of athletic guards. Lenz was voted GLIAC Freshman of the Year with 29 appearances and five starts as a true freshman. She notched a season-high 17 points at Purdue Northwest and is quickly developing as a dangerous threat in the conference from beyond the arc.

Tech will be without the services of guard Clara Johnson (graduated), a reliable first player off the bench for the coaching staff. Forward Jordan Ludescher also departed after recurring injuries prevented her return to the lineup as a senior. Ludescher's skill in the post and rebounding ability made her a difference-maker during the Huskies' run to the NCAA Region semifinals in 2020-21. Candidates to replace Johnson and Ludescher's minutes include senior combo guard Sloane Zenner (Houghton, Michigan, who has proven an ability to knock down corner threes in critical moments, and sophomore Lydia Schaible (Green Bay, Wisconsin), who possesses length and appeared in 25 games off the bench last winter.

Following the Crossover Tournament this weekend, three Division II non-conference opponents visit the SDC Gym in November (Concordia-St. Paul, State, Minnesota Duluth) before the team tips off conference action at Wisconsin Parkside on December 1. Picking up two conference wins over U.P. rival Northern Michigan has become an annual tradition, and the Huskies boast 11 straight wins over the Wildcats entering 2022-23. 

With four trips to the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament over the past 10 years, and their 17th GLIAC North Division Regular Season Championship in 2020-21 setting a high standard, Michigan Tech women's basketball's focus every season include defending their home court and taking care of the basketball. Historically, both have been achieved. The question is whether this veteran-laden squad is ready to take the next step.

KATIE WYSOCKY TO ENTER HUSKY HALL OF FAME

• Katie Wysocky is the most decorated women's basketball player in Michigan Tech history. She played for the Huskies from 2006-10 and is the all-time leader in scoring (1,943) and rebounding (1,231).
• Wysocky ranks first, second, and third in rebounds in a season and holds the school record for points in a season (609). She is also third in career field goal percentage (54.9 percent).
• During the 2009-10 season, Wysocky was named a First Team All-American, the Midwest Region Player of the Year, and the GLIAC Player of the Year.
• The Huskies set a school record for wins (31) and won their second straight NCAA Midwest Regional Title.
• Tech won three straight GLIAC Regular Season Championships and a pair of GLIAC Tournament Championships.
• Wysocky was a four-time All-GLIAC Selection with first-team honors in her final three seasons.
• She was a two-time All-Midwest Region selection and Third Team All-American in 2008-09.
• Wysocky was the 2007 GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

WATCH THE HUSKIES

• Michigan Tech basketball in partnership with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced a four-year media partnership with FloSports beginning this fall.
• FloSports became the exclusive platform for the conference and will broadcast over 900 games across 21 sports, including football, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at MTU.

LISTEN TO THE HUSKIES

• The exclusive radio carrier of Michigan Tech athletics is Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ and its partner station AM 920 WMPL.
• Fans can listen to every conference game and a selection of non-conference action all season long on local radio and online at pasty.net.
• Long-time play-by-play voice of the Huskies, Mitch Lake will be on the call for all Tech men's and women's basketball home contests.

OFF-SEASON NEWS

• Elisa Jurmu was promoted to Assistant Head Coach with the Michigan Tech women's basketball team, Head Coach Sam Clayton announced on Wednesday (August 3).
• Jurmu served as Assistant Coach for each of the past four seasons.
• Over that period, the Huskies posted a 70-39 overall record (.642), including two GLIAC North Division regular season championships, two conference tournament semifinal appearances, and one GLIAC tournament championship (2020-21).
• The Michigan Tech women's basketball team held the 15th highest grade point average in NCAA Division II in 2021-22 and was included in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 award.
• The Huskies improved their GPA to 3.734 and were one of two GLIAC schools honored (Wayne State - No. 18). 
• Tech has been in the Top-25 for 14 of the past 15 years.
• Ten players earned GLIAC All-Academic Excellence honors and one more was a GLIAC All-Academic honoree. 
• Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Famer Dawn Plitzuweit was named the Head Women's Basketball Coach at West Virginia on March 31.
• Plitzuweit was an All-American for the Huskies, playing from 1990-95, and was an assistant coach for the Black and Gold from 1995-98.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

• The Cardinals struggled last season with a 1-25 overall record.
• Leading scorer Libby Arnold (10.2 ppg) returns this season as a sophomore. She shot 36-percent overall and 33-percent from beyond the arc for the Cards.
• Sophomore guard Katie Knock was the only player on the squad to start all 26 contests. She averaged 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last season.
• Veteran head coach Jill Slominski begins her 27th season and has amassed a 460-345 record at the helm.
• The Cardinals last posted a winning record in 2020-21 at 12-11. Since switching to Division II from NAIA competition in 2010, William Jewell has competed in the GLVC Postseason Tournament nine times.

LAST MEETING

• Sara Dax put up 17 pts and shot 7-for-9 from the field to help Tech down William Jewell 75-49 last fall at Barry Events Center (NMU Tournament). 
• The Huskies dominated the Cardinals in the second quarter 23-12 and caused 20 turnovers.
• MTU shot 42-percent and passed 15 assists compared to nine turnovers.
• Katelyn Meister picked off four of Michigan Tech's 14 steals.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS

• Lewis garnered was selected to finish fourth in the GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Flyers came in behind Drury, Truman State, and Missouri St. Louis in the poll.
• The Flyers finished runner-up at the GLVC Championship Tournament last season as the fifth seed.
• Head Coach Keisha Newell enters her first season and inherits a team that went 16-15 overall and 11-8 in the GLVC in 2021-22.
• Key returners include First Team All-GLVC selection Grace Hilber (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin), Second Team honoree Kathryn Schmidt (Hampshire, Illinois), and Third Team pick Taylor Gugliuzza (New Lenox, Illinois).
• The Flyers played an exhibition in Romeoville against North Central College on November 4.
• They will face Northern Michigan on Nov. 11 prior to taking on the Huskies.

LAST MEETING

• The Huskies played Lewis in Marquette last season and picked up a 75-71 victory at Barry Events Center in the NMU Tournament.
• Ellie Mackay posted a team high 18 points and nine rebounds.
• Daisy Ansel contributed 14 points, four rebounds.
• Alex Rondorf scored 13 points and nabbed eight boards.
• The Huskies shot 56-percent overall, including 50-percent (8-for-16) from 3-point range. 
• Tech held a decisive edge in rebounding 38-22.
• Sara Dax recorded seven rebounds coming off the bench.