Volleyball season ends in NCAA Midwest Semifinal
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hillsdale | 26 | 27 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
|
Michigan Tech | 28 | 25 | 25 | 16 | 11 | 2 |
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball season came to an end Friday in the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal as the No. 20 Huskies fell 3-2 to No. 16 Hillsdale. Tech ended with a 25-7 record.
The Chargers won 26-28, 27-25, 22-25, 25-16, and 15-11 to advance to the championship match against host Ferris State.
"What an amazing match," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "It was an honor to be a part of it. From the minute it started you could feel the electricity in the gym.
"If you're going to end a season, and end some careers, this is the way you want to do it with top-notch volleyball played by top-notch players. It was a tough one but it was a good night."
Tech jumped out to the lead with a 28-26 win in the first. Anna Jonynas tallied seven kills in the first while Lindy Oujiri added five kills. Carissa Beyer dug up eight balls. The Chargers held the lead until the Huskies tied it up at 24. Tech closed on a 6-2 run.
HC tied it up in the second with another extended point victory, 27-25. There were six early ties before Hillsdale got to set point at 24-18. Tech then went on a 6-0 run to extend the set. The Chargers scored three of the final four points.
The Chargers jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third. Tech trailed 22-19 but got hot and scored the final six points to take a 2-1 lead. Anna Jonynas tallied six kills and added six digs in the third.
Hillsdale never trailed in the fourth and led by as many as 10 to tie it up and send it to a fifth set.
The Chargers went on a 4-0 run early in the fifth to take a 7-3 advantage. The Huskies trailed 10-8 before the teams traded points until the Chargers won. Olivia Ghormley had five kills in the fifth for the Huskies.
Olivia Ghormley had a match-high 20 kills. Anna Jonynas had 17 kills and tied a career-high with 27 digs. Lindy Oujiri was also in double-digit kills with 11. Morgan Radtke added nine kills and five block assists.
Laura De Marchi set the offense with 60 assists while adding 13 digs and four block assists. Carissa Beyer (25), Grace Novotny (15), Megan Utlak (14) also had double-digit digs.
The match was the last for fifth-year seniors Laura De Marchi, Olivia Ghormley, Anna Jonynas, and Megan Utlak. De Marchi, Ghormley, and Utlak will leave as the program's career leaders in their primary statistic, and Jonynas is one of only two players in program history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
"This group decided to come back on their own," added Jennings. "What an honor that was for us as a program and for me as a coach. They have earned everything they have fought for. This match is representative of the group, fighting until the very end."
