Huskies Fall in Five at Northern Michigan Tuesday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan Tech (6-7 (3-2 GLIAC)) | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 12 | 2 |
|
Northern Michigan (9-6 (3-2 GLIAC)) | 17 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller at Northern Michigan on Tuesday (Sept. 27). The Huskies took the first two sets 25-17 and 25-18 before falling 25-23, 25-23, and 15-12 down the stretch. Tech falls to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in the GLIAC.
"It was a tough loss, but we played pretty well overall," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "Credit Northern. They came back and made some good adjustments. They did a good job of slowing down our pin hitters as the match went on, and it's always a coin toss in the fifth set."
The Huskies led from start to finish in the first two sets. MacAulay Petersen and Mariah Sherman both had six kills in the first two frames as the Black and Gold hit .343 and .591 to take the 2-0 lead.
The third was a seesaw battle with Tech taking a 13-8 lead after scoring seven straight. The Wildcats got their feet underneath them and scored the final five points to make it 2-1.
NMU (9-6, 3-2 GLIAC) used the momentum, and the fed off the large Vandament Arena crowd, to win set four 25-23. The Huskies made it interesting down the stretch after trailing 23-16, scoring seven of the final nine points, but it was too little too late.
Three kills by Mariah Sherman in the early stages of set five gave Tech a lead, but the Wildcats responded, scoring six of seven for a 9-6 advantage. At match point (14-11), Stephanie Dietrich and Mariah Sherman brought the Huskies to within two on kills, but Marta Fraga Guntin put down the match-winner.
Sherman (15), Petersen (13), Ficek (12), and Emmert (12) all got into double figures in kills. Petersen and Emmert also added four block assists each.
"Mariah had a really good match tonight," Jennings said. "She was really aggressive for us today, especially in the first couple sets. Her and Lauren had very good matches for us offensively."
Rachel Pohlod was two short of a career high with 57 assists to setup the offense while also adding 10 digs and two block assists. Halie Hart led the defense with 19 digs while Elle Heinonen added 14.
"We need to put this one behind us," added Jennings. "It was an even match, and we didn't beat ourselves. We have to turn around and prepare for a good Findlay team for Friday."
The Huskies host Findlay and Wayne State at the SDC Gym this weekend to open the home portion of their schedule. The Oilers come in Friday at 5 p.m. while the Warriors have a 4 p.m. match Saturday.
