PREVIEW: Huskies host a pair on GLIAC opening weekend

HOME & GLIAC OPENER
• No. 19 Michigan Tech hosts Davenport and Grand Valley this weekend at the SDC Gym to open conference play.
• The Huskies host the Panthers at 6 p.m. Friday and the Lakers at 3 p.m. Saturday.
• Friday's match is Teacher Appreciation Night at the SDC Gym. Local educators can buy a ticket and get one free by using the code HuskiesLoveTeachers at BuyHuskiesTickets.com.
• Tech is 6-1 overall on the season.

ON THE RADIO
• WKMJ broadcasts select volleyball matches. Mitch Lake will call all the action from the SDC Gym.
• Friday's match against Davenport will be on Mix 93.5 FM and online at Pasty.net or the TuneIn app.
• Saturday's match will be on 920 AM/107.3 FM WMPL and online at Pasty.net or the TuneIn app.

WATCH THE HUSKIES
• All home and GLIAC matches, will be streamed on FloSports.
• Michigan Tech fans can watch all home and conference games in volleyball, basketball, football, soccer, and hockey with one subscription.
• Cost of a GLIAC FloSports subscription is $19.99 for the month or $149.99 for the year. Discounts are available for subscribers with a .edu email address.
• FloSports is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Chromecast.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Davenport – The Panthers are 7-2 overall. They began the week with a 3-2 loss to No. 20 Hillsdale on Tuesday. Kenzy Corstange is the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week and is second in the league with 4.76 digs per set. DU was picked fifth in the GLIAC Preseason Poll. AVCA Honorable Mention All-American outside hitter Hayley Kreiger is the top returner.
• GVSU – The Lakers are 6-2 overall. Their two losses are to No. 18 Gannon and No. 21 Minnesota Duluth. GVSU was the top pick in the GLIAC Preseason Poll. The Lakers return nine letter winners from last season, including five who played 50 or more sets last fall. Sarah Wight was an All-GLIAC Second Team middle blocker last season.

1,000 DIGS
• Grace Novotny eclipsed 1,000 digs for her career on Aug. 27 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
• She currently stands at 1,026 digs.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• August 30 - Setter of the Week - Lina Espejo-Ramirez 

AVCA POLL
• Michigan Tech is ranked No. 19 in this week's AVCA Division II Coaches Poll for the second week in a row.
• The No. 19 ranking is the highest for the Huskies since 1996.
• The Black and Gold were ranked No. 23 in the 2022 Preseason Poll and ended 2021 at No. 22.

LAST WEEKEND
• The Huskies went 2-1 at the Hampton Inn Invitational at Parkside.
• Tech had its first match of the weekend canceled mid-match due to heat in the gym.
• The Huskies fell 3-1 to McKendree Friday and then earned sweeps of Illinois Springfield and Minnesota Crookston Saturday.

HAMPTON INN ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• Jillian Kuizenga and Janie Grindland were named to the Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament Team.
• Kuizenga led Tech's offense last weekend, averaging 3.2 kills per set while hitting .301. She added 10 blocks and nine digs. Grindland hit .470 and averaged 2 kills per set, 1.3 blocks per set, and 1.1 digs per set.

OTTER ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• Outside hitter Jillian Kuizenga was named the MVP of Cal State Monterey Bay's Otter Invitational and was on the all-tournament team after she averaged 3.25 kills per set on the weekend while hitting .265.
• Setter Lina Espejo-Ramirez and libero Carissa Beyer were also named to the all-tournament team. Espejo-Ramirez averaged 9.58 assists per set and 2.92 digs per set. Beyer led the Huskies' defense with 3.8 digs per set.

PRESEASON GLIAC POLL
• In the 2022 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Huskies were picked second in the GLIAC behind Grand Valley State.
• The Lakers had 68 points and the Huskies received 66 points. Wayne State was third with 64 points and Ferris State (62) rounded out the top four. Davenport (55), Northern Michigan (48), Saginaw Valley State, and Parkside (26) were also in the top eight. Lake Superior State and Purdue Northwester were ninth and tenth.

COACH JENNINGS
• Head coach Matt Jennings is in his 10th season and has won 177 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 four straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2017-21.
• 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 with the 2021 team repeating the feat in outright fashion.

COACHING PROMOTIONS
• Cindy Pindral was promoted to Assistant Head Coach in the offseason.
• Head Coach Matt Jennings was added to the NCAA Women's Volleyball National Committee and will represent the Midwest Region until September 2026.

LAST SEASON
• Tech finished the 2021 fall season with a 25-7 overall record and ranked No. 22 in the final AVCA Top 25 poll.
• The Huskies won the GLIAC Regular Season Championship for the second straight season and the third time in program history with a 14-1 conference record.
• The Black and Gold went to its fourth straight NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Midwest Regional Semifinal for the fifth time in school history.

ALL-GLIAC RETURNEES
• Carissa Beyer – Fall 2021 All-GLIAC Second Team
• Janie Grindland – Spring 2021 All-GLIAC Second Team
• Jillian Kuizenga – Two-time All-GLIAC Honorable Mention

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
• The four-match homestand continues against Ferris State (Sept. 16) and Lake Superior State (Sept. 17) next weekend.
• The first road GLIAC match of the season is on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at Northern Michigan.