PREVIEW: NCAA Midwest Region Quarterfinals

•  (VIDEO) Women's Basketball NCAA Region Quarterfinal Preview

HOUGHTON, Mich. - No. 23 ranked Michigan Tech makes its 21st NCAA appearance Friday in Ashland, Ohio as the No. 4 seed. Tech takes on No. 5 seed Trevecca Nazarene at Kates Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. in the Midwest Region quarterfinals. A radio broadcast will be on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ and pasty.net. The Huskies and Trojans were both runners-up in their respective conference tournaments last weekend.

• Friday marks the second time the Huskies have qualified for the NCAA Tournament under fifth-year head coach Sam Clayton.
• In 2020-21, the Huskies traveled to Drury University and fell in the semifinals to Ashland 74-63 at O'Reilly Events Center.
• Should the Huskies win on Friday, they would face the winner of No. 1 seed Ashland and No. 8 seed Malone in the semifinals Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

MACKAY LEADS THE WAY

• MTU's leading scorer for the third straight season is fifth-year senior guard Ellie Mackay (Novi, Michigan).
• Mackay (13.8 ppg) was named First Team All-GLIAC for the third time in her career and recently passed Jenny Postlewaite for second on the Michigan Tech all-time scoring chart and was the 2020-21 GLIAC Player of the Year.
• Mackay posted a career-high 37 points in the GLIAC quarterfinals last Wednesday, which tied Sam Clayton's 2012 Michigan Tech single-game record.
• She also has 23 career games of 20 or more points.

LENZ EXCELS IN SOPHOMORE SEASON

• Sophomore guard Isabella Lenz (Prescott, Wisconsin) joins Mackay at the top of the scoring chart (13.8 ppg) and was named First Team All-GLIAC and All-GLIAC Defensive Team this spring after collecting GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors a year ago.
• Lenz currently ranks third in the conference in assists (3.9 apg) and fourth in 3-point shooting percentage (41.0 percent).

DAX AND MEISTER ARE EFFICIENT SHOOTERS

• Junior forward Sara Dax (Kewaunee, Wisconsin) is a proven commodity in the post but can also shoot from outside.
• She ranks second in the GLIAC in shooting percentage (52.2 percent).
• Coach Clayton's first option off the bench, junior guard Katelyn Meister (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin) also ranks fourth in shooting percentage (50.8 percent) and averages 7.8 points per game in her fourth season at Tech.

RONDORF DOES IT ON BOTH ENDS

• There is an argument to be made senior guard Alex Rondorf (West Bend, Wisconsin) is the heart of the team.
• For the second straight season, Rondorf was named Second Team All-GLIAC as well as All-GLIAC Defensive Team.
• Rondorf has started all 31 games for the Huskies, averaging 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds (fifth in the GLIAC).
• Rondorf posted a career-high 23 points at Purdue Northwest on December 3 and shoots 96.5 percent at the free throw line (55-57).

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Huskies rank ninth in Division II turnovers per game (12.4) and third in free throw percentage (80.47 percent).
• Tech averages 70.4 points per game (third in GLIAC) and allows the third-fewest points to opponents (60.1). 
• The Huskies pull down 37.6 rebounds (second).

GET TO KNOW THE TROJANS (21-9)

• The Trojans (Nashville, Tennessee) are making their first NCAA appearance since moving to Division II 11 years ago.
• TNU is a private Nazarene liberal arts college, founded in 1901.
• Travecca finished 5-22 overall last season and was picked to finish 12th out of 13 teams in the GMAC this season.
• The Huskies and Trojans have never met in women's basketball, but have two common opponents, Ashland and Walsh. 
• Trevecca went 0-2 against Ashland this season, including in the GMAC Championship game, and went 3-0 against Walsh. The Huskies lost to Ashland 77-49 on December 29 and beat Walsh 63-47 on New Year's Eve on the road.
• Karen Booker was hired as the sixth head coach at Trevecca in the Summer of 2022. 
• 2022-23 is the 30th season of women's basketball at Trevecca.
• Booker was All-SEC and third-team All-American at Vanderbilt University with 1,522 career points and 1,096 rebounds. She went on to play in the WNBA with the Utah Stars and Houston Comets. 
• Booker led Division I Cal Poly for two seasons and Division III Sewanee for two years. She has also been an NCAA official at all three NCAA levels, as well as junior college, and NAIA. She became an Officials Observer for the SEC.
• The Trojans won six of their last seven regular season games to go into the GMAC quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed.
• Lafayette, Tennessee junior guard Keeley Carter (30 starts, 30 games) leads the team with 17.8 points per game, shooting 51.4 percent overall, 38.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.8 percent at the line.
• Carter (First Team All-GMAC) is Trevecca's all-time leading scorer in the DII era with 1,121 points. She scored a career-high 29 points at Tiffin University and a school-record 500 points this season.
• Second Team all-conference junior forward Emma Palmer (Mount Juliet, TN/Northern Kentucky) set career highs in points (12.1), field goal percentage (62.4), rebounds (184), assists (29), and blocks (25) and transferred to Trevecca last season.
• Palmer ranks No. 5 in Division II in field goal percentage and has 615 career points. 
• Palmer recorded a season-high 24 points against Walsh on January 7.
• Palmer and Carter were selected the All GMAC All-Tournament team. Carter averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the tournament. Palmer averaged 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds.
• The Trojans defeated snapped Kentucky Wesleyan's 12-game win streak during the regular season, then bested them again in the GMAC Semifinals.
• Trevecca was ranked No. 6 heading into the GMAC Tournament.

TROJANS IN THE GMAC TITLE GAME (#1 Ashland -83, Trevecca Nazarene -65)

• Palmer led the Trojans with 22 points (9-13) and five rebounds. 
• Carter scored 17 points with 19 rebounds. 
• Faith Wilken added 14 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
• Trevecca Nazarene shot 41.9 percent (26-62) from the floor, 29.4 percent (5-17) from 3-point range, and 72.7 percent (8-11) from the free throw line.
• Trevecca Nazarene out-rebounded the Eagles 42-30 but the Eagles connected on 17 of 35 triples and made 12 of 14 free throws.
• Trevecca dominated in the paint 42-18, but Ashland received 24 points off the bench compared to four points from the Trojans.

HUSKIES IN THE GLIAC TITLE GAME (#5 Grand Valley State -62, #22 Michigan Tech -54)

• Emily Spitzley scored 25 points to help No. 5 Grand Valley State over Tech Sunday afternoon at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena.
• The Huskies snapped a six-game win streak while the Lakers won their 12th straight.
• Rondorf led Tech with 19 points on an efficient 7-11 from the floor with six rebounds.
• Lenz added 15 points and a team-high six assists.
• The teams were tied 28-28 at the half.
• Dax and Mackay nabbed seven rebounds apiece.
• Michigan Tech finished with a 15-12 assist to turnover ratio.
• Spitzley was named MVP of the GLIAC Tournament.

MATCHUP COMPARISON

GOOD TO KNOW

• Michigan Tech has had one losing season since 1987-88 (2020-21).
• Sam Clayton holds a 95-45 (.678) record as head coach since her start in 2018-19.
• The Huskies were GLIAC Tournament Champions in 2020-21 after going 20-2 (17-1 GLIAC). 
• Should the Huskies advance to the semifinals, radio coverage will be provided by AM920 WMPL/107.3 FM and online at pasty.net.

NATIONAL RANKINGS 

• Women's basketball is Nationally ranked for the third time this season this week, checking in at No. 23 in Tuesday's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Top-25 poll.
• The Huskies have also received votes five weeks this winter.
• The team was ranked No. 24 on February 7, No. 22 on Feb. 28, and No. 23 on March 7.
• MTU was twice ranked last season and six times in 2020-21, topping out at No. 6.
• Tech has three wins over Top-25 opponents this season.

THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR

• The final eight teams will head to the St. Joseph Civic Center in St. Joseph, Mo., from March 20-22 to decide which two teams head to Dallas, Texas to play in the DII National Championship game on April 1.
• Tech's best run since the program's inception in 1975-76 occurred under head coach Kim Cameron in 2010-11.
• The Huskies finished 31-3 overall, placed first in the GLIAC North Division and GLIAC Tournament, before making a run to the NCAA Division II title game, where they fell to Clayton State 69-50 at Civic Arena (St. Joseph's, Missouri).
• Sam Clayton was a sophomore at the time and a Division II All-American Honorable Mention selection.

IF YOU'RE GOING

• Tickets may be purchased from the Ashland University Campus Store by calling 419-289-5336 or online at http://www.ashlandbookstore.com/SiteText?id=76162.
• Note: Husky fans should request seats in the MTU fan section from Ashland's ticket office staff.
• Tickets per session will be sold for $20 for reserved seats, $15 for adults, and $10 for students and seniors.
• An All-Tournament Package will be available which includes all sessions.
• Packages will be sold for $75 for reserved, $55 for adults, and $35 for students and seniors. 
• Available tickets can also be purchased on game day in Kates Gymnasium starting one hour prior to each session.

LONG RECORD OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS

• 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.