DULUTH, Minn. — The Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team swept Adelphi on Saturday morning to wrap up play at the Up North Tournament. The Huskies earned their second sweep of the season 29-27, 25-12, and 25-16.

“What a great team win for us today. I’m very proud of the resilience and perseverance that we showed during this match,” Huskies coach Cindy Pindral said. “We had a slow start and found ourselves down big in the first set, but started to build some momentum with scrappy defense and strong serving. We were able to close the gap then battled back and forth before taking the first.

“Our block came alive during the second set, and we felt very much in control for the remaining sets.”

Huskies sweep Panthers in Duluth

The Huskies got down by eight points early in the first before mounting a comeback. Down 23-19, the Huskies scored five straight points for a setpoint advantage. The teams went back and forth with Adelphi having three setpoints that the Huskies survived.

Tricia Kennedy then had back-to-back blocks for the 29-27 win. Six different Huskies had at least two kills in the opening set.

The Huskies dominated the second, hitting .343 and forcing the Panthers into -.062. Tech led by as many as 14 and turned again to Kennedy in the clutch with the set winning kill, 25-12. Kennedy and Brynn Erickson led the Huskies with four kills each in the frame.

For the second straight set, Tech never trailed in the third. Madelyn Torola got into the offensive action with four kills, while Kennedy also added four on only eight swings. Rachel Zurek put down the winner for the 25-16 win and sweep.

“Tricia was very efficient attacking from the middle and was a big factor in our ‘block party’,” added Pindral. “Her net play was great today and she provided steady energy.

“Maddie Torola provided a huge spark on the right side with quality kills and block touches. She continues to improve and plays with a lot of confidence. It’s so fun to see her start to flourish at this level.”

Kennedy and Zurek combined for 22 kills and 10 blocks. Erickson added nine kills and Torola finished with eight. Madelynn Kreider (20 assists) and Tess Hayes (18 assists) set the offense. Julia Fledderjohn (13), Kreider (11), and Erickson (10) had double-digit digs.

Huskies fall in a pair of matches in St. Cloud Friday

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Huskies dropped a pair of matches to top 20-ranked opponents at the Up North Tournament Friday. Michigan Tech fell 3-0 to No. 17 Barry in the afternoon and then dropped another 3-0 contest in the evening against No. 10 St. Cloud.

“We faced two very tough opponents today and unfortunately struggled to play consistently good ball,” Pindral said. “There were moments of brilliance, but we weren’t able to catch fire and make any real pushes against either team. We have a lot of notes on areas that need improvement.”

“Madelynn Kreider had a breakout day and provided a huge spark for us in the setter position. She was able to get our attackers one-on-one situations, serve tough, and played quality defense. I’m excited for her future in a Husky uniform.

“Rachel Zurek had some big-time kills and provided quality leadership. We rely on her a lot in our offense and she delivered consistently today.”

No. 17 Barry 3, Michigan Tech 0

The Barry Buccaneers, who hail from Miami Shores, Florida, defeated the Huskies 25-21, 25-15, and 25-19 at Halenbeck Hall to move to 4-0 — all in 3-0 sweeps. There were 12 ties and eight lead changes in the match.

Jacqueline Yancy led the Huskies with eight kills while Zurek and Brooke Dzwik added five each. Kreider set the offense with 18 assists with Hayes adding seven. Erickson and Fledderjohn each tallied five digs.

No. 10 St. Cloud 3, Michigan Tech 0

The hosts for the day, the SCSU Huskies, won 25-17, 25-12, and 25-20 in the evening match. The Red and Black hit .410 and limited Tech to .177. SCSU scored the last seven points in the first set and began the second on a 5-0 run. The third set was tight throughout with 10 ties and five lead changes before the home team closed on a 9-2 run to improve to 5-2 on the season.

Tech received kills from eight different players and was led by Zurek and Dzwik with seven. Kreider tallied 21 assists and seven digs. Fledderjohn also had seven digs.

Up next

Tech heads into GLIAC play next weekend with a 3-4 record. The Huskies play at Ferris State on Friday and Davenport on Saturday.