Huskies win a pair Friday at Crossover

HAMMOND, Ind. – The No. 25-ranked Michigan Tech volleyball extended its winning streak to nine with a pair of wins over GLVC opponents Friday (Oct. 16) at the Hammond Sportsplex. The Huskies swept No. 16 Lewis to start the day and defeated Missouri S&T 3-2 in the evening match.

Olivia Ghormley set the school record for career kills. She entered the day 10 shy of holding the record and hit the mark early in the third set against the Flyers. Ghormley wrapped up the day with 18 kills and has 1,555 for her career to lead all active NCAA Division II players.

"What a big first day at the crossover for the Huskies," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "To come out and start the weekend with that win over Lewis was huge. To follow it up with a five-set comeback was really a great way to finish the day. 

"Our backcourt once again shut down a really strong offense and got our offense the kind of second-chance scoring opportunities we needed.

"Missouri S&T played very good defense and their attackers, especially number three and number thirteen, did a fine job finding ways to score and keep pressure on our backcourt. We had some clutch play from several different people as we battled through this one. I'm proud of the poise we showed in pressure situations and can't say enough about the toughness our group showed today."

Michigan Tech 3, Lewis 0

Tech upset the Flyers with scores 25-23, 28-26, and 25-12. The Huskies forced Lewis into 22 attacking errors to take down the top seed in the GLVC.

Ghormley had a match-high 15 kills while hitting .361. Anna Jonynas and Jillian Kuizenga added nine kills each. Laura De Marchi had a double-double with 32 assists and 17 digs. Jonynas (16), Carissa Beyer (17), and Megan Utlak (10) also had double-digit digs.

Michigan Tech 3, Missouri S&T 2

The Huskies trailed twice in the evening match against the Miners and won the final two sets, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17, and 15-13. Tied at 12 in the fifth, Tech scored three of the final four points with kills by Kaycee Meiners, Morgan Radtke, and Kuizenga to get the win.

Radtke had a career-high 14 kills along with two solo blocks and a pair of block assists. Jonynas led the Huskies with 16 kills. Meiners (8 kills), Kuizenga (7 kills), and Lindy Oujiri (7 kills) were also forces offensively. De Marchi set the attack with 50 assists while adding 14 digs. Beyer had a match-high 25 digs.

The Huskies wrap up the tournament against No. 17 Hillsdale who has won 16 straight, including two at the Crossover on Friday. Match time is 1:45 p.m. Eastern.