Michigan Tech’s Janie Grindland reaches for a ball at the during a match against Northern Michigan Tuesday at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

DETROIT — With four matches left in the season, the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team is still chasing a home playoff spot in the GLIAC. They are currently 16-8 overall and 8-6 in conference play.

This weekend, they will face the Wayne State Warriors, who sit above them in the GLIAC standings at 9-5, and the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals, who have fallen to 5-9 in conference play, but are capable of beating anyone in the conference on any given night.

The Huskies are coming into the weekend having earned wins over the Grand Valley State Lakers and the Northern Michigan Wildcats. They also dropped a tough match to the Davenport Panthers in between the wins.

After beating the Warriors last Friday, the Huskies felt they were well-positioned to take on the Panthers. However, it was the Panthers who reminded the Huskies of how hard you have to play every match in the GLIAC, as the hosts swept the Huskies. All three sets were close, but coach Matt Jennings felt that the Panthers made life very difficult for the Huskies.

“We felt like we played really well against Grand Valley in that win on Friday night,” he said. “I don’t want to say what took a step backward against Davenport, but they expose some things that hadn’t been exposed in a while.”

The team targeted Tuesday’s matchup with the Wildcats as an opportunity to respond to Saturday’s effort, and also a chance for revenge, as Northern Michigan had defeated them in straight sets in Marquette on Sept. 20 as part of the Huskies’ slow start to conference play.

“I’m particularly proud of the way we stepped up against a team, a good team, a team that is winning games and beat us pretty good last time we played them back there in Marquette,” said Jennings. “We had that in mind going into this one. We prepared well, on the short turnaround, and played the kind of game we wanted to.”

The loss to the Wildcats was part of a stretch where freshman outside hitter Meg Raabe fought through an injury. During that stretch, she focused on other aspects of her game.

“I think that stretch really helped me dial in on my back row,” she said. “I think it was a good thing. I really think that I’m not going to take advantage of my spot. I know how lucky I am to be in that position.

“I think it’s really helped me to focus on my swings. Coach has been helping me with my transition. You can really start to see the difference now.”

That hard work has helped her evolve quickly into a six-rotation player, something that Jennings believed she could be.

“When I was looking for a program, I was looking for a coach that believed in me, and he believes in me every day,” said Raabe. “I think outside is a challenge, sure, but it’s fun, so I love it.”

The Huskies have been striving, as a group, to build off their recent success. They have gone 9-4 since losing three in a row to open their conference schedule. Senior middle blocker Janie Grindland, who has been a big part of helping lead the team through its current run, feels that the team has turned a corner.

“I think the energy we started off with (Tuesday) is something that we can strive to achieve every time we play,” she said. “I think we just keep building on little pieces that we’ve been putting together throughout the season. I think it’s really coming together very well. I think we just keep trying to capture that.”

Back on the road

The Huskies will face the Warriors on Friday, a team they stunned 3-0 at home on Saturday, Oct. 8. On Saturday, they will face the Cardinals, whom they beat 3-1 on Friday, Oct. 7.

Jennings expects the Warriors to be hungry for revenge. They are coming into the weekend on a three-match winning streak that includes a 3-2 victory over conference-leading Ferris State.

“We had a good run against them last time they were here,” he said. “We’re not expecting the same team to show up this Friday. I mean, they’re at their place. They beat Ferris last weekend.

“We know that Wayne is a better team and they probably showed here last time.”

The Cardinals have been in a bit of a tailspin since their loss to the Huskies, having dropped six of their last seven matches, including losses to Wisconsin-Parkside and Lake Superior State.

However, the Cardinals do feature a pair of strong attackers in Madison Thompson and Rylee Zimmer, both of whom had at least 15 kills against the Huskies earlier this season.

“They block well,” Jennings said. “They’re well-coached. They play with a lot of energy. I know they’re hitting a bit of a skid right now.

“They’re going to be playing hard, and playing good defense. When they get going, they have a setter that can really move the ball around.”