PREVIEW: Huskies host Cardinals and Warriors in volleyball

WEEKEND MATCHES
• Michigan Tech returns to the SDC Gym this weekend for a pair of GLIAC matches.
• The Huskies host Saginaw Valley State at 5 p.m. Friday.
• First serve against Wayne State is at 4 p.m. Saturday.
• Tech is 10-6 overall and 4-5 in the GLIAC.

ON THE RADIO
• WKMJ broadcasts select volleyball matches and will carry Friday's match against SVSU.
• Mitch Lake will call all the action from the SDC Gym.
• Both matches will be on Mix 93.5 FM 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 OPPONENTS
• Saginaw Valley State – The Cardinals are 9-8 overall and 5-4 in the GLIAC. Conference wins are over Parkside, Lake Superior State, Davenport, and Purdue Northwest. SVSU was picked seventh in the GLIAC Preseason Poll. Setter Peyton Gerstacker ranks second in the GLIAC in assists per set (9.35).
• Wayne State – The Warriors hold an 11-6 overall record and 5-4 mark in the GLIAC. The conference wins are over PNW, SVSU, LSSU, GVSU, and UWP. They've won four of their last five. WSU was picked third in the GLIAC Preseason Poll. Maddy Benoit leads the GLIAC in digs per set (5.21) and Lauren VanderWal is third in kills per set (3.52).

LAST WEEKEND
• The Huskies wrapped up a five-match road trip with a weekend split.
• Tech swept Lake Superior State Friday to defeat the Lakers for the 24th straight time.
• Ferris State won 3-1 over Tech on Saturday.
• Makena Wesol (3.14 k/s) led the offense while Lina Espejo-Ramirez (9.57 a/s) set the attack, and Carissa Beyer (4.71 d/s) led the defense.

GLIAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Lina Espejo-Ramirez is third in assists per set (9.31).
• Janie Grindland is fifth in hitting percentage (.292).
• Carissa Beyer is sixth in digs per set (4.06).
• Grace Novotny is sixth in aces per set (0.43).
• Jillian Kuizenga ranks seventh in kills per set (2.98).
• Morgan Radtke is seventh in blocks per set (0.85).

1,000 DIGS
• Grace Novotny eclipsed 1,000 digs for her career on Aug. 27 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
• She currently stands at 1,084 digs to rank 12th in program history.

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

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 at the tournament, 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 181 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
• Tech takes a break from conference matches next weekend for the Midwest Regional Crossover Tournament where the Huskies will play three matches.
• Tech travels to Grand Valley State and Davenport the following weekend.