Michigan Tech setter Tess Hayes (10) and middle blocker Paige Wagner (4) attempt to block a spike from Northern Michigan’s Jacqueline Smith during a match Wednesday at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — After the first set Wednesday night, it appeared the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team was in the driver’s seat. They had taken down the Northern Michigan Wildcats in convincing fashion.

The Wildcats (14-7 overall, 8-3 GLIAC) won three of the next four sets, including a very tightly-contested fifth set, to emerge from the SDC Gym with a 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 17-25, 20-18 win.

The Huskies (11-10 overall, 5-6 GLIAC) had multiple chances to close out the match in the fifth set, including four match points, but it was not enough.

“I think it’s…if I don’t wear it on my sleeve, no one does,” said Huskies coach Matt Jennings. “But, yeah, this one hurts a lot.”

Wildcats coach Mike Lozier was not overly impressed with the way either team played the first four sets.

“I mean, it was a pretty ugly mess through the first four sets,” he said, “and then, the fifth set, everyone kind of settled in and we had a great fifth set.”

In the fifth set, the Huskies hit extremely well, with 10 kills and no errors for a .313 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Meg Raabe led the way with six of those 10 kills.

However, senior outside hitter Jacqueline Smith was not to be denied. She had seven of her match-high 28 kills in the set, including the one for match point, to seal the win for her team.

“I don’t know, I was probably holding my breath just like everyone else was during the stretch down the end,” Lozier said, “just looking at situations, who was matched up with who, and just trusting that if we do our job, we’re gonna side out, and try to push and get two points in a row, which is tough. Really proud of the team.”

Raabe did everything she could to match Smith’s success, and she finished her night with 21 kills, crossing the 20-kill threshold for the first time since a 24-kill performance against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Oct. 5.

“Meaghan is, night in and night out, just as consistent of a player as you can ask for,” Jennings said. “I think it hurts us a little bit more when you see a player go off like that, and then we just make some mistakes in other areas.”

The Huskies had to rely on their depth by the time they got to the third and fourth sets, and junior outside hitter Makenna Wesol was one who found a way to chip-in. She picked up a season-high seven kills in just her sixth match of the season.

Michigan Tech had a very solid opening set, but then struggled mightily for two straight sets, putting their backs against the wall by the time the fourth set came around. The Huskies trailed very early, 3-1, but battled back and eventually opened up a 16-10 lead on the strength of three kills by senior middle blocker Kaycee Meiners, who finished her night with eight total.

From there, the Huskies opened up a seven-point advantage at 18-11 after a Rachel Zurek kill. The sophomore middle blocker had 14 kills on the night.

The Huskies held off a late surge in that set from Smith, who had three kills with the set on the brink.

In the fifth and deciding set, the Huskies jumped out to a quick lead thanks to a kill by Raabe. Smith answered to even things. Raabe again gave the Huskies a lead at 3-2, and she added a kill to push the advantage to 5-2. At 6-2, Lozier called a time out. Smith answered with two kills and a service ace and suddenly the set was 7-5 in favor of Michigan Tech.

From there, the Huskies stayed two points ahead, forcing the side change at 8-6. Raabe had a pair of kills and the Huskies led 12-10, but Smith answered to tie things at 12-12. From there, the teams traded points until Raabe had a block that put Michigan Tech up 14-13.

On the next volley, an apparent hitting error appeared to give the Huskies the match, but upon review, the call was reversed.

Northern quickly took a 15-14 lead on a service ace from Smith, but Meiners evened it at 15-15. Lozier again called for a review, this time the call stood. Sophomore libero Amelia Albers put the Huskies in position to win with a service ace, but the Wildcats answered. The Huskies had two more opportunities to end the match, but could not as Northern Michigan tied it again at 18-18.

Then with the Wildcats in the lead 19-18, Smith knocked down the final kill to end things.

UP NEXT

The Huskies have just 47 hours to lick their wounds and then they are back in action Friday against Wisconsin-Parkside at 5 p.m. at the SDC Gym.