After being swept by the nation’s number one team Friday night, Michigan Tech Volleyball responded with a three-set sweep over Davenport to close the weekend with a 3-0 victory.
The Huskies defeated the Panthers 30-28, 25-21, and 25-23, improving their score to a 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play. The win also avenged the five-set loss they had to Davenport earlier in the month.
“It’s incredibly important [to win in three sets],” Michigan Tech Volleyball head coach Cindy Pindral stated.. “One of our team goals is to beat everyone in the GLIAC at least once. So it’s very important that we’re splitting. I’m totally happy with the hard-fought loss on the road and then taking care of business back at home.”
The Huskies faced a difficult turnaround after Ferris State defeated them 0-3 Friday. Ferris State entered the match ranked at number one nationally and remained undefeated at 12-0. Tech led at some point in each of the three sets but could not hold off the Bulldogs.
Pindral said the team’s response to adversity was more important than the result against Ferris State. “One of our big mottos is how we respond and how we rebound,” Pindral said. “We’re not expecting to beat every single team. We’re not expecting to dominate every single point every single day. So when we face adversity and when we find ourselves down or challenged, how you respond is what really matters.”
That response showed immediately against Davenport. The first set had 13 ties and six lead changes before Tech pulled off the 30-28 victory. The Huskies then controlled the second set and held off another Davenport push in the third set.
The final point of the match provided one of the weekend’s more unusual moments. With the third set tied at 23, Freshman Kayla Heinonen’s attack was initially ruled out of bounds. Coach Pindral challenged the call, and the officials determined that Davenport had touched the ball, giving Michigan Tech the match point. Senior Rachel Zurek then finished the match with a kill. Pindral said she was unsure the challenge would be successful but decided to use one regardless of the risk. “Sometimes when you take a risk, you find something,” Pindral said. “That was a wild turn of events.”
Zurek led the Huskies with 12 kills, while Heinonen added 11 kills along with eight digs. Sophomore Madelynn Kreider recorded 36 assists as well as seven digs, and Junior Keeley Nellis finished with 14 digs.
The Huskies will now look toward their rivalry matchup, traveling to Northern for a 6 p.m. match Tuesday night at Vandament Arena in Marquette.
