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PREVIEW: Huskies travel to Midwest Region Crossover in Indiana

PREVIEW: Huskies travel to Midwest Region Crossover in Indiana
MIDWEST REGION CROSSOVER
Date Friday-Saturday, October 15-16, 2021
Location Hammond Sportsplex (Hammond, Ind.)
Live Stats Midwest Region Crossover
GLIAC VB GLIAC Standings
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THIS WEEK'S MATCHES
• Michigan Tech is the No. 1 seed for the GLIAC at this weekend's 13th annual Midwest Region Crossover in Hammond, Indiana.
• The Huskies open against No. 16 Lewis on Friday at noon.
• Tech also plays at 7 p.m. on Friday against Missouri S&T.
• The tournament wraps up against No. 17 Hillsdale on Saturday at 1:45 p.m.
• The Huskies are 12-4 and sit atop the GLIAC standings with a 7-1 conference mark.
• Tech is riding a seven-game winning streak.

AVCA POLL
• Michigan Tech is ranked No. 25 in this week's AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, breaking into the top 25 for the first time this season.
• Tech has received votes in all seven AVCA Top 25 polls.
• The Huskies were ranked in eight AVCA Top 25 polls during the spring season and finished at No. 24.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Lewis is the No. 1 seed for the GLIVC at the crossover. The Flyers are ranked No. 16 this week in the AVCA poll with a 14-4 overall record and 9-1 conference mark. Tech and Lewis last met at the 2019 NCAA Tournament when the Flyers ended the season for the Huskies with a sweep.
• Missouri S&T is 12-5 overall and 6-3 in the GLIVC. The Miners are tied with Rockhurst atop the GLVC West Division. Tech and S&T met in 2014 with the Miners winning 3-1.
• Hillsdale is the top seed for the GMAC with a perfect 9-0 record. The Chargers are 16-2 overall and ranked No. 17 in the AVCA poll. Tech and Hillsdale met in the 2019 NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal with the Chargers advancing 3-1.

LAST WEEKEND
• Tech extended its winning streak to seven games with a sweep of Northern Michigan last Saturday at the SDC Gym.
• The Huskies won 27-25, 25-13, and 25-18 to pick up their 10th sweep of the season.
• Anna Jonynas had a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs while hitting .500. Jillian Kuizenga also had double-digit kills with 11 on only 18 swings. Laura De Marchi set the attack with 36 assists. Carissa Beyer finished with 14 digs while Grace Novotny added 10.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Laura De Marchi leads NCAA Division II in assists per set (11.9).
Olivia Ghormley leads active NCAA Division II players in career kills (1,532).
• De Marchi is second across all NCAA divisions in career assists per set (11.85).
• Tech leads the GLIAC and is fifth in the nation in kills per set (14.73).
• The Huskies lead the GLIAC in hitting percentage (.246).
• Tech is third in the GLIAC in digs per set (16.89).
Anna Jonynas is second in the GLIAC and 13th nationally in kills per set (4.16).
Carissa Beyer is fifth in the GLIAC in digs per set (4.11).
Janie Grindland is seventh in the GLIAC in hitting percentage (.277).

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Anna Jonynas – Sept. 13
Anna Jonynas – Sept. 27
Anna Jonynas – Oct. 4

PRESEASON GLIAC POLL
• In the 2021 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Huskies led the North with 51 points and four first-place votes. Northern Michigan was one point back while also taking a pair of first-place votes. Northwood (34), Wayne State (28), Saginaw Valley State (22), and Lake Superior State (10) rounded out the North in spots three through six.
• Grand Valley State was the top choice in the South Division with 44 points and four first-place votes. Ferris State garnered 39 points and one vote. Davenport (31) was third followed by Parkside (19) and Purdue Northwest (12).

MILESTONE MARKS
• Laura De Marchi – 4,884 assists (1st in program history)
• Olivia Ghormley – 1,537 kills (3rd in program history)
• Megan Utlak – 1,741 digs (2nd in program history)
• Anna Jonynas – 1,527 digs (5th in program history)
• Laura De Marchi – 1,209 digs (9th in program history)
• Anna Jonynas – 1,026 kills (9th in program history)

COACH JENNINGS
• Head coach Matt Jennings is in his 10th season and has won 158 matches overall.
• Under Jennings, the Huskies have gone from last place in the conference to nationally ranked and consistently in the NCAA Tournament.
• Jennings has coached the Huskies to three straight NCAA tournament appearances and the program's first NCAA win since 1995.
• He was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2017 and led the team to a program record of 10 straight wins to start the 2016 season.
• The 2021 spring team won a GLIAC Regular Season title for the second time in program history.

LAST SEASON
• Tech went 11-4 overall last season and held a 9-3 GLIAC mark to capture the program's second GLIAC North Division title.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
• Laura De Marchi was named an Academic All-American in 2020-21 to become the fourth Michigan Tech volleyball to earn the award.
• She led NCAA Division II setters with 12.72 assists per set in the spring.
• De Marchi set the school record for career assists on April 2 and also holds the school records for career assists per set (11.8) and season assists per set (12.72).
• De Marchi also reached 1,000 career digs in 2021.

ALL-GLIAC RETURNEES
• Laura De Marchi – GLIAC Player of the Year, 4-time GLIAC Setter of the Year, 4-time All-GLIAC First Team & GLIAC Freshman of the Year
• Olivia Ghormley – 3-time GLIAC Attacker of the Year & 3-time All-GLIAC First Team
• Anna Jonynas – All-GLIAC First Team
• Megan Utlak – All-GLIAC Second Team & 2-time All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
• Janie Grindland – All-GLIAC Second Team
• Jillian Kuizenga – All-GLIAC Honorable Mention

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
• The Huskies travel to Parkside (Oct. 22) and Purdue Northwest (Oct. 23) next weekend
• The road trip continues with a Tuesday match at Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 26).
• The month wraps up at Northern Michigan (Oct. 30).