Michigan Tech right side hitter Madelyn Torola attempts a kill during a match against Roosevelt Friday, Sept. 26, at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Coming off a weekend that saw the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team earn a pair of sweeps of Lake Superior State and Saginaw Valley State, they are in the midst of a four-match winning streak to improve to 7-6 overall and 4-2 in GLIAC play.

Coach Cindy Pindral likes how the Huskies are settling in after injuries caused some early-season issues.

“This is a really good foundation for us in the early goings of GLIAC conference play,” she said. “The theme of this past week was to take care of business, and we did that pretty much seamlessly. We were able to get a lot of people into the match against Lake State and contribute in different ways. Then in Saginaw, we mostly played with our starting lineup, but we needed to make one switch and Brooke (Dzwik) was able to come in and help a lot in that match and get it done for us in three.

“Every match is a battle, for sure, but we knew going into these two that we just need to stay on our ‘A’ game and take care of business, essentially, and we did just that.”

The Huskies used freshman setter Madelynn Kreider primarily against the Lakers on Friday, where she put up 18 assists. Then Saturday, they turned to junior Tess Hayes, who racked up 36 assists and three blocks.

“It’s a luxury, for sure,” said Pindral, when asked about having two setters that the team is confident in. “We have some very talented setters, and any team in the league would be very happy to have them, I’m sure. But, it’s awesome being able to rely on Tess with the senior leadership. She’s been in these tough positions before. Then to also have the grace and the dignity to let Maddie have some time with it too, because Maddie’s going to be our future, and it’s super important for her as a freshman to get exposure to this, and to every little aspect of all of what we’re doing here.

“So, having Maddie step in against Lake State was super helpful. She got a feel for that type of environment, and it’s kind of a home match for her to an extent, but it was just really awesome to be able to switch between the two.”

Another freshman who is starting to have a consistent impact is right side hitter Madelyn Torola. The Calumet native hit .500 Friday to pick up four kills against the Lakers. She followed that up with a .368 match against the Cardinals, where she set a new career high with nine kills.

“She’s in a really good spot right now where she’s kind of got the freshman blissful ignorance,” Pindral said. “We’re trying to promote that in the sense that it’s a positive thing. You don’t have a ton of expectations. You can just kind of go up and take the best available shot. You don’t feel like you need to have ‘X’ amount of kills every night.

“Once those expectations start to creep in as older players, then you start to see a lot more anxiety, a lot more performance anxiety, and stuff like that. So, she’s in a good spot right now. The message to her going forward for this season is just take what’s available, and continue to just be smart in the moment.”

On the other side of the court, the Huskies are using a committee of players in the left pin slot, and it is working. Dzwik had seven kills on Friday, junior right side Rachel Zurek had four, junior outside hitter Makena Wesol had three, and junior outside hitter Jacqueline Yancy had two. Then Saturday, Zurek had 15 kills, Yancy had six, and Dzwik had one.

“That goes back to the training,” said Pindral. “Not toot our own horn as coaches, but we don’t exclude anybody from reps. Everyone gets the same looks, the same feedback, all of that. We did a lot of groundwork, laying the groundwork in the spring, to really develop our touches. So, with the goal being now in the fall, when we don’t have a ton of time to go over the skill and all the nitty gritties that we’ve already touched on, everyone’s got a good, solid foundation, so we’re not trying to have anyone play catch up in the season. It’s just, where are we at? We’ve already laid the groundwork and let’s go.

“So, I think we’ve got a good mentality across the team. We can pretty much throw in anybody at this point and they would make a good difference. I don’t know that we’ve had that luxury on past teams.”

Scouting the Wildcats

On Thursday, the Huskies finally get to play their third home match of the season, this time against the Northern Michigan Wildcats. The Wildcats are 5-9 overall, but are 4-2 in conference play.

Senior middle blocker McKenzie Gruner is driving the Wildcats’ offense with a team-high 143 kills, almost 50 more than sophomore right side hitter Madison York, who has 97.

“Prepping specifically for Northern, it’s such a fun match any way you shake it,” Pindral said, “regardless of records, or personnel, or whoever. That rivalry is always so much fun. Both teams always show up with a ton of school pride, and just fun competitiveness. There’s so much history between the two teams.”

Scouting the Pride

On Sunday, the Huskies hit the road for a brief trip to Hammond, Indiana, to face the Purdue Northwest Pride. The Pride are 6-6 on the season and 3-3 in conference play after dropping both matches last weekend to Wayne State and No. 18 Grand Valley State.

The Pride are led offensively by three players in triple figures in kills. Leading the way is junior outside hitter Anika Huelskamp, who has 119, then senior right side hitter Arra Cottrell has 118. Finally, senior outside hitter Allyson Cathey has 107.

The service game remains strong for the Pride, who are led by senior setter Marina Gronkiewicz with 28 aces. Huelskamp has 14, as does Cottrell. Sophomore libero Kennedi Brass has also been good, with 13 aces.

Game times

The Huskies and Wildcats will have their opening serve Thursday at 6 p.m. at the SDC Gym. On Sunday, the Huskies and Pride are set to start at 3 p.m. in Hammond, Indiana.