PREVIEW: Volleyball hosts NMU Tuesday

TUESDAY MATCH
• Michigan Tech begins a busy week by hosting Northern Michigan Tuesday.
• First serve is set for 6 p.m. at the SDC Gym.
• Tech is 15-8 overall and 7-6 in the GLIAC.
• The Huskies head back downstate on the weekend to Wayne State Friday and Saginaw Valley State Saturday.

ON TV
• Tuesday's match will be aired locally on FOX-UP.
• TV6 and FOX-UP began broadcasting the Tech versus NMU rivalry during the 2013-14 season.
• Mark Evans will call the action from the SDC Gym.

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
• The Wildcats are 18-6 overall and 10-3 in the GLIAC and have won their past three conference matches.
• NMU was picked sixth in the GLIAC Preseason Poll and received one first-place vote.
• Meghan Meyer leads the GLIAC in hitting percentage (.390), Jacqueline Smith is second in kills per set (4.45), and Alli Yacko is fifth in digs per set (4.11).
• NMU won the first meeting 3-0 on September 20 in Marquette, 25-18, 27-25, and 25-14.

LAST WEEKEND
• The Huskies split their weekend downstate.
• Tech defeated Grand Valley State 3-1 Friday and fell 3-0 at Davenport Saturday.
• Jillian Kuizenga (3.57 k/s) led the offense while Lina Espejo-Ramirez (8.71 a/s) set the attack, and Carissa Beyer (5.43 d/s) led the defense.

GLIAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Lina Espejo-Ramirez is third in assists per set (9.57).
• Carissa Beyer is third in digs per set (4.89).
• Morgan Radtke is sixth in solo blocks (15).
• Grace Novotny is seventh in aces per set (0.39).
• Jillian Kuizenga ranks eighth in kills per set (3.03).
• Janie Grindland is 13th in hitting percentage (.247).

1,000 DIGS
• Grace Novotny eclipsed 1,000 digs for her career on August 27 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
• She currently stands at 1,139 digs to rank ninth in program history.
• Novotny ranks 13th amongst active NCAA Division II players with 130 matches played and 16th with 461 sets played.

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 186 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 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.