David Archambeau/For the Gazette Michigan Tech outside hitter Jacqueline Yancy attempts a kill during a match against Davenport Saturday at the SDC Gym in Houghton.

By DAVER KARNOSKY

dkarnosky@mininggazette.com

HOUGHTON — After a loss against No. 7 Ferris State and a win over Davenport, the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team is 6-5 on the season overall and 2-2 in GLIAC play. This weekend, the Huskies remain at home for a pair of matches against Lake Superior State and Saginaw Valley State.

While a split for the second straight weekend was not ideal for the Huskies last weekend, coach Matt Jennings felt the way his team bounced back Saturday after dropping its second straight match was important for the group moving forward.

“It’s extremely important,” he said. “Every game is important. We go out and try to win and compete every time we play, but there’s no doubt that that one was when we needed. Looking at the weekend, Ferris State is still undefeated, and Top 10 in the country.”

Jennings felt there were areas of the game the Huskies put up in both matches, that if they find a way to do every time they are on the court, they will be tough to beat.

“Actually, there were parts of our game that I think were really on against both teams,” he said, “particularly on the offensive side, but there were some areas that put some stress on us, so it wasn’t enough to beat Ferris. Although I think, had those parts been there, it would have been a match for sure. Then, the next day, I just think we were the better team, and our offense kind of carried the day.”

The Huskies showed off some team depth in the match against Davenport, whether it was the way sophomore outside hitter Jacqueline Yancy played all six rotations, or finding ways to split the time of sophomore libero Amelia Albers and junior libero Alayna Corwin. Several decisions made by Jennings and his staff proved smart.

“A couple of things, one, we utilized the two libero rule change this weekend, which is the first time we did that this year,” Jennings said. “You’re allowed to designate two liberos. They kind of just count as one person, so they can kind of come in and out pretty informally. We kind of played with that a little bit to see if we can’t get some more just out of the libero position in general and get the two of them kind of sharing their talents for us at once.

Then we took Meaghan (Raabe) out of the back row this weekend and put in Brooke (Dzwik) full time back row for her, and her (Dzwik’s) defense was phenomenal.”

While several aspects of the changes proved positive for the Huskies, Jennings admitted that the Huskies were less comfortable with their serve-receive game, something they have spent time working on this week.

“So, the serve-receive side, though, with some of those changes, was affected, I think, a little bit,” he said. “So, we have to get back to being comfortable in serve-receive, regardless of what our formation looks like back there. But, I think it helped on the defensive side more or less.”

Part of the desire by the coaching staff to see how the Huskies could better use their depth came from the way the match against the Bulldogs went on Friday. Jennings felt that too many times in the match, sophomore setter Tess Hayes was working the ball to Raabe, which made the Huskies too predictable on offense.

While Jennings and his staff know that Raabe is a key component to the Huskies’ attack, if they can work in other attackers, the load she will carry can be reduced, making her more effective.

“Meaghan is going to carry a big load offensively by virtue of her position, but in the back row, her defense was starting to kind of crack a little bit. So, we kind of worked, mutually agreed, that that might be something that would benefit her. We don’t want to see any effect of the front row with that. So, it didn’t really change anything offensively. There’s not much out of the back row she’s getting offensively, maybe a little bit here or there. (However, it) kind of preserved her time on the court for the front row, where we need her most.”

SCOUTING

THE LAKERS

The Lakers come into this weekend 5-7 overall and 2-2 in GLIAC play after a pair of 3-0 losses last weekend to No. 16 Grand Valley State and Wayne State.

With an injury to senior middle blocker Maggie Morris in their GLIAC opener against Saginaw Valley, the Lakers have been scrambling to find a lineup they feel comfortable with. Freshman middle hitter Giselle Wiitanen has stepped into the role, and is learning on the fly.

Senior right side Mariana Velasque has stepped up this season, and leads the team with 101 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Gia Waters is also off to a good start with 93 kills.

“I think that their right side is very, very good,” said Jennings. “They have an outside who takes a bunch of swings, who does good things. (They) always play really scrappy defense. They’re going to make you earn it, and they play fast when they can. They want to be fast to some of their middles.”

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

The Cardinals come into this weekend 3-9 overall and 1-3 in GLIAC play after a week that saw them lose at Northwood in non-conference action before falling to Wayne State and Grand Valley State over the weekend.

Senior outside hitter Sarah Veale has become the focal point of the Cardinals’ offense with a team-high 149 kills, or 3.73 kills per sets. Senior outside hitter Sedona Coon has also been good, racking up 73 kills.

Both Veale and Coon are also important in the service game, as they are tied for the team lead with 10 aces each.

GAME TIMES

The Huskies and Lakers are set to start at 7 p.m. Friday at the SDC Gym in Houghton. Saturday, the Huskies and Cardinals are scheduled to start at 4 p.m.