PREVIEW: Volleyball heads to GVSU and Davenport

WEEKEND MATCHES
• Michigan Tech gets back to conference action this weekend with a road trip to Grand Valley State and Davenport.
• First serve against the Lakers on Friday is 7 p.m. with a 2 p.m. start versus the Panthers Saturday.
• Tech is 14-6 overall and 6-5 in the GLIAC.

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.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Carissa Beyer is the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight time.
• Beyer was named to the Midwest Region Crossover All-Tournament Team after she helped lead the Huskies to a 2-1 record last weekend, anchoring the defense with 6.36 digs per set while also adding 12 assists and five aces.
• She tallied 20 digs in a 3-0 loss to Ashland and added 33 digs in a 3-2 win over Indianapolis on Friday. Beyer went on a streak of four matches with over 20 digs. In Saturday's sweep of Cedarville, Beyer dug up 17 balls.
• She ranks third in the GLIAC at 4.83 digs per set and is second on the team with 19 service aces.
• Beyer has hit double figures in digs 19 times this season with five matches over 20 digs and two over 30.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Davenport – The Panthers are 18-5 overall and 9-2 in the GLIAC. Their two losses are two Northern Michigan and Saginaw Valley State and they defeated Tech 3-2 on September 9. The team has won 10 of its last 11 matches. DU was picked fifth in the GLIAC Preseason Poll. AVCA Honorable Mention All-American outside hitter Hayley Kreiger leads the GLIAC with 4.83 kills per set
• GVSU – The Lakers are 14-8 overall and 7-4 in the GLIAC. They defeated the Huskies 3-0 on September 10. Jaelianna Primus leads the GLIAC in blocks per set (1.0) and Sarah Wight is second in hitting percentage (.315). GVSU was the top pick in the GLIAC Preseason Poll.

LAST WEEKEND
• The Huskies wrapped up nonconference play at the Midwest Region Crossover Tournament, going 2-1 on the weekend.
• Tech fell 3-0 to Ashland but bounced back with a 3-2 win over Indianapolis and a sweep of Cedarville.
• Meg Raabe (4.00 k/s) led the offense while Lina Espejo-Ramirez (10.00 a/s) set the attack, and Carissa Beyer (6.36 d/s) led the defense. 

GLIAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Lina Espejo-Ramirez is second in assists per set (9.67).
• Carissa Beyer is third in digs per set (4.83).
• Morgan Radtke is third in solo blocks (15).
• Grace Novotny is sixth in aces per set (0.4).
• Jillian Kuizenga ranks eighth in kills per set (2.97).
• Janie Grindland is 12th in hitting percentage (.261).

1,000 DIGS
• Grace Novotny eclipsed 1,000 digs for her career on August 27 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
• She currently stands at 1,1122 digs to rank 10th in program history.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• August 30 – Setter of the Week – Lina Espejo-Ramirez 
• October 11 – Defensive Player of the Week – Carissa Beyer
• October 18 – Defensive Player of the Week – Carissa Beyer

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
• Jillian Kuizenga – Otter Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Lina Espejo-Ramirez – Otter Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Carissa Beyer – Otter Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Jillian Kuizenga – Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Janie Grindland – Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Carissa Beyer – Midwest Region Crossover All-Tournament Team

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 185 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 hosts Northern Michigan on Tuesday.
• The Huskies wrap up the month with a road trip to Wayne State (Oct. 28) and Saginaw Valley State (Oct. 29).
• The regular season wraps up against Parkside (Nov. 4) and Purdue Northwest (Nov. 5) at the SDC Gym.