The Huskies volleyball team swept both members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from Ohio, as they defeated the Ashland Eagles 3-0, and defeated the Tiffin Dragons 3-1 in the SDC Wood Gym this past weekend.
On Friday, Oct. 6, the Huskies started the match out strong winning the first set 25-15. Senior Stephanie Dietrich finished off the Eagles with a tremendous kill to end the first set. The second set was a bit harder for the Huskies, but they ultimately prevailed 25-23. Junior Mariah Sherman had three straight kills for the Huskies making it 18-14 MTU, but Ashland battled back making it within one, 24-23. Head coach for the Huskies Matt Jennings called a timeout to set up freshman Olivia Ghormley with the final kill of the second set.
The Huskies won the third set in a back and forth battle, 27-25. The Huskies and Eagles spent most of the set trading point for point. Tech called a timeout after the Eagles went up 22-20 with a kill. However, the Huskies came roaring back after the timeout with two kills by sophomore MacAulay Peterson and a service ace by freshman Laura DeMarchi, to go up by one 23-22, forcing Ashland to call a timeout. Peterson scored another kill forcing a set and match point, but Ashland wasn’t going away that easy, as they scored the next two points. Sherman scored another kill for Tech, to go up 25-24, but Ashland tied it back up. A kill by Dietrich and an attack error on Ashland sealed the deal for the Huskies.
Four Huskies were in double digits for kills on the night, led by Peterson with 16. Senior Elle Heinonen lead the Huskies with 22 digs, and Dietrich and Sherman had two blocks apiece.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, the Huskies cooled off the red-hot Dragons, who won their last five matches, including beating a tough Wildcat squad in Marquette Friday night. The Dragons kept it close for the beginning of the first set, but after a kill by Peterson, an attack error on the Dragons and a kill by Dietrich made it 19-13 MTU, the Huskies easily finished off the Dragons with a kill by sophomore Emilia Widen to win the first set 25-18.
The second set was a completely different story. The Huskies had control for the beginning of the set, gaining a 14-10 lead. The Dragons battled back to tie it at 19, before a service error and an attack error gave the Huskies a two-point lead, forcing Tiffin to call a timeout. After the timeout, a kill by Dietrich gave the Huskies a three-point lead. However, an attack error on the Huskies and a kill for the Dragons brought them within one. Sherman would make a kill for the Huskies, as that’d be the final point for the Huskies of the set, as Tiffin would go on to score four straight to take the set from the Huskies 25-23.
The third set didn’t produce any issues for the Huskies, as they took the early lead and rode it to the end of the set, winning the set 25-17 after a powerful kill by Sherman. The fourth set was a lot like the third, as the Huskies built up a lead at the beginning of the set. However, the Dragons battled back to make it 9-8 MTU after a kill. The Huskies took control from then on winning the set 25-18 after an attack error on the Dragons.
Ghormley had a fantastic night as she led the Huskies in kills with 22. Heinonen again led the team in digs with 30. Ghormley and Dietrich each had a block on the night.
The Huskies will travel to Aurora, Illinois next weekend for the Midwest Region Crossover. They’ll be playing two teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the Bellarmine Knights (15-3) and the Drury Panthers (14-5). They’ll also be playing a familiar face in the former GLIAC member the Findlay Oilers (16-2), who defeated the Huskies earlier this year 3-2 in the Hillsdale Tournament.
