PREVIEW: Huskies travel to Midwest Region Crossover Tournament

WEEKEND MATCHES
• Michigan Tech wraps up nonconference play this weekend with the 14th annual Midwest Region Crossover Tournament that features teams from the GLIAC, GMAC, and GLVC.
• Tech plays Ashland at 3 p.m. (Eastern) and Indianapolis at 8 p.m. Friday to begin the tournament.
• The Huskies will wrap up the weekend on Saturday against an opponent to be determined after Friday's results.
• Tech is 12-6 overall and 6-5 in the GLIAC.

ABOUT THE CROSSOVER
• The largest NCAA volleyball tournament in the country will be held at the Hammond Sportsplex.
• 36 teams will compete at the 12-court facility with 10 from the GLIAC, 13 from the GMAC, and 13 from the GLVC.
• Each team is guaranteed three matches and every session will utilize six courts at once.
• The traditional all-tournament team with members from all three conferences will be announced following the conclusion of the event.

WATCH THE HUSKIES
• Tickets must be purchased at the door: $12 adult single session; $5 seniors 65 and over; $20 two-day pass.
• All Crossover matches will be streamed on BallerTV. The all-events pass is $39.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Carissa Beyer is the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after she helped lead Michigan Tech to a weekend sweep at the SDC Gym.
• Beyer tallied 59 digs, averaging 8.43 per set. She had a career-high 35 digs in a 3-1 win over Saginaw Valley State Friday and added 24 in a sweep of Wayne State Saturday.
• The senior ranks third in the GLIAC with 4.56 digs per set.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• Ashland – The Eagles are 16-5 overall and a perfect 11-0 in the GMAC. They're currently on a 13-match winning streak. AU was the top pick out of the South Division in the GMAC Preseason Poll and is led by Erin Krupar (3.37 k/s), Zoey Peck (10.12 a/s), and Katie Thompson (5.14 d/s).
• Indianapolis – The Greyhounds are 11-7 overall and 4-3 in the GLVC and have won four of their last five. UIndy was picked sixth in the GLVC Preseason Poll and is led by Hannah Sabotin (2.55 k/s), Claire Morrie (8.04 a/s), and MaKenna Barnhart (4.55 d/s).

LAST WEEKEND
• The Huskies notched a pair of GLIAC wins at home over the weekend, defeating Saginaw Valley State 3-1 Friday and sweeping Wayne State 3-0 Saturday.
• Jillian Kuizenga (4.14 k/s) led the offense, while Lina Espejo-Ramirez (11.43 a/s) set the attack, and Carissa Beyer (8.43 d/s) led the defense.

GLIAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Lina Espejo-Ramirez is second in assists per set (9.6).
• Carissa Beyer is third in digs per set (4.56).
• Janie Grindland is sixth in hitting percentage (.283).
• Jillian Kuizenga ranks sixth in kills per set (3.11).
• Morgan Radtke is sixth in blocks per set (0.85).
• Grace Novotny is 10th in aces per set (0.38).

1,000 DIGS
• Grace Novotny eclipsed 1,000 digs for her career on August 27 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
• She currently stands at 1,097 digs to rank 12th in program history.

GLIAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
• August 30 – Setter of the Week – Lina Espejo-Ramirez 
• October 11 – Defensive Player of the Week – Carissa Beyer

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 183 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 gets back to GLIAC play next weekend at Grand Valley State and Davenport.
• The month wraps up with a Tuesday match against Northern Michigan on October 25 followed by a road trip to Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State.