Six Huskies receive GLIAC volleyball awards and honors
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The GLIAC announced its award winners and all-conference teams on Thursday (Apr. 8) evening before the 2021 GLIAC Tournament. Laura De Marchi was named the GLIAC Player of the Year, the GLIAC Setter of the Year, and to the All-GLIAC First Team. Olivia Ghormley was named the GLIAC Attacker of the Year and to the All-GLIAC First Team.
Anna Jonynas was also on the All-GLIAC First Team, while Megan Utlak and Janie Grindland were named All-GLIAC Second team. Jillian Kuizenga rounded out the awards with All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honors.
De Marchi is Michigan Tech's third GLIAC Player of the Year in program history and is the GLIAC Setter of the Year for the fourth straight season. She has received the honor four of the eight times that the award has been presented. De Marchi led the GLIAC with 589 assists, averaging 12.53 per set to rank second in NCAA Division II. She broke Michigan Tech's career assist mark on April 2 with her 4,092nd assist. She also tallied her 1,000th career dig on the same day. The senior from Milan, Italy also tallied 129 digs this season, averaging 2.74 per set, 28 kills, and 24 total blocks. She had eight double-doubles and hit the 50-assist mark seven times in 2021 with a season-high 65 assists on March 27. De Marchi also holds the school record for career assists per set (11.8) and is second amongst active NCAA Division II setters and third amongst all NCAA setters in the same category. She has been named to the All-GLIAC First Team in all her four seasons at Tech.
Ghormley is the GLIAC Attacker of the Year and First Team Honoree for the third consecutive season. She led the GLIAC in the regular season in kills per set (4.03) to rank 19th nationally. The senior from Oneida, Wisconsin was twice named the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week on March 15 and March 22. She currently ranks third in Michigan Tech history in career kills per set (3.77) and fourth with 1,419 career kills. Ghormley hit double figures in kills in 9-of-10 matches she appeared in and hit the 20-kill mark three times. She added 15 digs and 11 total blocks while hitting .257.
Jonynas earned All-GLIAC honors for the first time in her career after she was third in the GLIAC in kills per set (3.98), 10th in hitting percentage (.268), and 15th in digs per set (3.7). The senior outside hitter from Orland Park, Illinois was named the AVCA Division II National Player of the Week and GLIAC North Division Player of the Week after the final weekend of the regular season when she averaged 5 kills per set, hit .397, and averaged 3.7 digs per set. Jonynas ranks sixth in program history with 1,291 digs. She had 10 double-doubles in 2021, three matches with 20 kills, and tied a career-high with 27 digs on March 27. She also led the team with 13 service aces while adding 19 total blocks and 15 assists.
Utlak was GLIAC Honorable Mention in each of the last two seasons before being named to the All-GLIAC Second Team this season. The senior libero from Parma, Ohio ranked fourth in the GLIAC in digs per set (5.09) and is third in program history with 1,535 digs. She tallied double-digit digs in all 12 matches and hit the 20-dig mark six times this season while tying a career-high with 32 digs on March 27. Utlak also recorded 42 assists.
Grindland ranks second in the GLIAC in blocks per set (1.13) and fourth in hitting percentage (.327). The junior middle blocker from Woodbury, Minnesota averaged 1.98 kills per set and hit double figures in kills four times. She tallied 11 total blocks on March 12 and added 27 digs on the season with 11 service aces.
Kuizenga appeared in nine matches as a redshirt freshman. She averaged 2.72 kills per set and hit double figures four times with three matches tallying 15 kills. The native of St. Charles, Illinois also tallied 19 total blocks and eight digs.
Tech's six all-conference honorees in 2021 are the most in program history. Having three first-team selections ties 2017 for the most ever for the Huskies.
Tech is the No. 1 seed in this weekend's GLIAC Tournament hosted by Saginaw Valley State. The Huskies will play at 4 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinal round against the winner of the No. 8 SVSU versus No. 9 Parkside matchup.