The Michigan Tech Volleyball team had a busy week with two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matches, splitting the results with one loss and one win. Their first game was against the undefeated and nationally ranked Ferris State Bulldogs, while their second game was against the Davenport Panthers, who came into the weekend with a 2-9 overall record.
The Bulldogs entered Friday night’s game as the top-ranked team in the GLIAC conference. Despite Michigan Tech’s loss in three straight sets, the Huskies put up a tough fight. The first set ended 19-25, the second 22-25, and the third 21-25. Sophomore Jacqueline Yancy led Michigan Tech with 12 kills while setter Tess Hayes had an impressive 29 assists, showing a great connection between Yancy and Hayes.
After the game on Friday, Head Coach Matt Jennings reflected on the night’s performance: “I don’t think we played horribly. That is a great team, and they are rated top 10 [in the nation] for a reason… We just have to stop making mistakes at crunch time.”
The Huskies listened to Coach Jennings and bounced back in Saturday’s game, sealing a victory over the Davenport Panthers in three sets. The first set was a nail-biter, ending in 26-24 with a decisive block by senior Kaycee Meiner. The second saw another close game of 25-23, while the third set ended decisively at 25-20, with Jacqueline Yancy once again stepping up to finish the game with a block. Michigan Tech led the match in total kills with 43, while Davenport finished the match with 36. Defensively, the Huskies were solid, recording 67 digs compared to Davenport’s 49 digs. Junior Meg Raabe led the Huskies with 11 kills. Tess Hayes had 35 assists and 18 digs.
After the Saturday victory, Coach Jennings was pleased with the Huskies response. “To have a split between Davenport and Ferris. There is no shame in that… most parts of our game were good enough to win.”
At the weekend’s conclusion, the Huskies ended up with a 6-5 overall record, being 2-2 in GLIAC conference play. Michigan Tech will next host the Lake Superior State Lakers on Friday, Oct. 4, with the match set to begin at 7 p.m.
