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 |
Facebook.com/MichiganTechWVB | |
Twitter.com/mtuwvb | |
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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).