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PREVIEW: Volleyball travels back downstate for a pair

PREVIEW: Volleyball travels back downstate for a pair
DAVENPORT & GRAND VALLEY STATE
Date Friday, Oct 27 | 6 p.m.
  Saturday, Oct 28 | 2 p.m.
Location Davenport Student Center
  GVSU Fieldhouse Arena
Video Stream FloSports
Live Stats Davenport | Grand Valley State
GLIAC VB GLIAC Standings
Facebook Facebook.com/MichiganTechWVB
Twitter  Twitter.com/mtuwvb
Instagram Instagram.com/mtuwvb

 

WEEKEND MATCHES
• Michigan Tech continues the road trip back downstate.
• The Huskies play at Davenport on Friday at 6 p.m.
• The weekend wraps up at Grand Valley State at 2 p.m. Saturday.
• The Huskies are 10-12 overall and 6-5 in the GLIAC.
• Tech swept GVSU at home in September and fell to Davenport the next day.

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.
• FloSports provides each subscriber with access to all content and events with the purchase of a monthly or yearly subscription.
• Subscriptions are offered in two different billing packages - monthly and annual.
• Discounts are available for students enrolled at GLIAC member and associate member institutions. You must subscribe with a .edu email address to be eligible.
• FloSports is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Chromecast.

200 WINS FOR COACH
• Head Coach Matt Jennings won his 200th game on October 14 against Findlay.
• He ranks second in the program history in career wins behind Mary Kaminski (258).

COACH JENNINGS
• Head coach Matt Jennings is in his 11th season with the Huskies and has won 201 matches overall.
• Jennings is on the NCAA Women's Volleyball National Committee and represents the Midwest Region.
• Under Jennings, the Huskies have gone from last place in the conference to nationally ranked and consistently in the NCAA Tournament.
• Jennings 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.

LAST WEEKEND
• Tech volleyball split its weekend downstate with a 3-1 victory at Saginaw Valley State Friday and a 3-2 loss at Wayne State Saturday.
Lindy Oujiri led the offense (3.78 k/s), Tess Hayes set the attack (11 a/s), and Amelia Albers (3.33 d/s) anchored the defense.

SCOUTING DAVENPORT
• The Panthers are 10-12 overall and 6-5 in the GLIAC. The conference wins are over Tech, Lake Superior State (2), Wayne State, Saginaw Valley State and Purdue Northwest.
• Stephanie Kalinowski leads the GLIAC in digs per set (4.7) and Lindsay Taylor is fifth in kills (260).
• DU went 22-9 last season with a 13-5 GLIAC record. They were upset by Grand Valley State in the GLIAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed.
• The Panthers won both meetings with the Huskies last season with a 3-2 win at the SDC Gym and a 3-0 sweep at Davenport.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS
• GVSU is 17-3 overall and 9-2 in the GLIAC. The three losses this season have been to Michigan Tech, Lewis, and Ferris State.
• The Lakers are fourth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.107) and fifth in hitting percentage (.283). They also lead the GLIAC in assists per set and kills per set.
• Sarah Wight leads the GLIAC in hitting percentage (.409), is second in blocks per set (1.02) and third in aces per set (.47).
• GV went 19-13 last season with a 10-8 GLIAC record. As the No. 6 seed in the GLIAC Tournament, they advanced to the title match.
• The Lakers swept the first meeting with the Huskies last year in Houghton and the Huskies got revenge with a 3-1 win in Allendale later in the season.

FIRST MEETING
• Davenport – Tech fell 3-0 to Davenport on Sept. 16 at the SDC Gym. The Panthers won 25-21, 26-24, and 25-21. Lindy Oujiri had a match-high 15 kills while hitting .308 and added three block assists. Kaycee Meiners tallied nine kills and five blocks. Tricia Kennedy (5 kills) and Rachel Zurek (4 kills) also added to the offense, and Tess Hayes set the attack with 36 assists while adding 10 digs. Brooke Dzwik had a match-high 14 digs.
• GVSU –Tech opened the GLIAC schedule with a 3-0 sweep of Grand Valley State on Sept. 15 at the SDC Gym. The Huskies handed the Lakers their first loss of the season 25-21, 25-19, and 25-18. Kaycee Meiners led a balanced offensive attack with 12 kills while hitting .611 with four blocks. Rachel Zurek added six kills and five blocks, and Kate Loch also put down seven kills. Tricia Kennedy and Lindy Oujiri combed for 10 kills. Tess Hayes set the offense with 30 assists. Brooke Dzwik tallied a match-high 13 digs.

GLIAC STATISTICAL RANKING
• Kaycee Meiners – 1st in total blocks (88)
• Kaycee Meiners – 1st in blocks per set (1.07)
• Lindy Oujiri – 2nd in total kills (291)
• Lindy Oujiri – 2nd in kills per set (3.59)
• Tess Hayes – 3rd in assists per set (9.55)
• Kaycee Meiners – 5th in hitting percentage (.327)
• Rachel Zurek – 6th in blocks per set (.91)
• Amelia Albers – 11th in assists per set (3.12)

GLIAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
• Oct. 9 – Lindy Oujiri – GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week
• Oct. 9 – Tess Hayes – GLIAC Setter of the Week

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Lindy Oujiri was named to the Midwest Region Crossover All-Tournament Team. She helped lead the Huskies to a 2-1 record at the Crossover, leading the offense with 43 kills, averaging 4.3 per set while hitting .298.
• Kaycee Meiners was named to the UP Open All-Tournament Team after averaging 2.29 kills per set while hitting .410 and tallying nine blocks.
• Lindy Oujiri was named to the Up North All-Tournament Team after leading the Huskies with 3.62 kills per set while adding eight blocks.

GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
1    Ferris State - 79 (7)
2    Grand Valley State - 70 (1)
3    Northern Michigan - 67 (2)
4    Michigan Tech - 53
5    Wayne State - 51
6    Davenport - 44
7    Saginaw Valley State - 34
8    Lake Superior State - 24
9    Parkside - 18
10  Purdue Northwest – 10

NEW ASSISTANT
• Mallory Nickelson was named an Assistant Coach with Michigan Tech volleyball in February.
• Nickelson was a four-year starting libero and setter at future GLIAC member Roosevelt University and was recently an assistant coach for two seasons at UW-Stevens Point.

CAPTAINS
Senior outside hitter Lindy Oujiri, redshirt junior middle blocker Kaycee Meiners, and sophomore defensive specialist Alayna Corwin are team captains for 2023.

LAST SEASON
• Tech finished the 2022 season 20-10 overall record, winning 20 matches for the fifth consecutive season.
• The Huskies went 11-7 in GLIAC play and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament Semifinal for the sixth straight season.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
• Tech has a three-match week, beginning on Halloween night at Northern Michigan.
• The Huskies host Wayne State (Nov. 3) and Saginaw Valley State (Nov. 4) in the final home matches of the regular season.
• The regular season wraps up at Ferris State (Nov. 10) and Lake Superior State (Nov. 11).