Going the distance
Huskies volleyball falls in fifth set to Bulldogs
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HOUGHTON -- The SDC Gym Thursday night, two volleyball teams battled through four full sets and then also a full fifth set as the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs held off the Michigan Tech Huskies in the opening game of the season for both teams and the opening game of the UP North Tournament.
The Huskies won the first and fourth sets, 25-21 and 25-17, but dropped the second and third, 25-20, and 25-17, which set up an epic fifth set that ended in the Bulldogs' favor, 25-23.
Despite the loss, Huskies coach Cindy Pindral was nothing but smiles afterwards.
"What a barn burner," she said. "What a way to start the season. That’s an incredible match. We knew that we were going to be very evenly matched in terms of personnel, and style of play, going into it.
"We’ve been very excited that this has been our home opener all preseason, and it turned out to be one that went the distance."
After the third set, where the Huskies went down 25-17, and never really seemed to click, they bounced back in the fourth, turning the tables on the Bulldogs from the opening serve.
"We're just like, we need to push," Pindral said. "This is our moment, and we have to decide now if we’re going to roll over and just kind of let them do whatever they’re going to do, because they were starting to heat up with their offense, and our serving was getting a little bit by the wayside."
Pindral said that she told the team to go out and attack the serve.
"I gave them the green light from the service line," she said. "One of our principles of play is serve tough, but responsibly. So we’re trying to make our first, and then go for it from there. But, I was just like, 'Go for it,' and it certainly paid off."
Sophomore setter Madelynn Kreider had two aces in that set to help set the tone. Senior right side hitter Rachel Zurek, who finished with a team-high 16 kills, had four of them to lead the Huskies in the set.
Sophomore right side hitter Madelyn Torola added three of her nine for the match in the set as well.
The set opened with a Torola kill. Two points later, senior middle blocker Tricia Kennedy had one of her nine kills. After a Kreider ace, it was 5-0 Huskies. The Huskies pushed that advantage to six, 15-9 after a Bulldogs service error. Later, a Kennedy block made it 22-14. From there, the Huskies finished things off to force the fifth set.
Normally, the fifth set is supposed to move quickly as the winning team only needs 15 points. The Huskies jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Bulldogs responded with three straight points. From there, the Huskies moved back ahead by three, 7-4, but again, Minnesota-Duluth shaved that back down to two, 8-6.
The Huskies went back up by four, 10-6, and later led 14-11 after another Zurek kill. But that last point was not to be as the Bulldogs evened things at 14-14. A service ace gave the visitors a lead, 15-14, but a Kennedy block evened things at 15-15.
From there, the teams traded leads and ties until a Bulldogs' service error tied things again at 22-22. Kennedy came up with a block to put the Huskies back ahead 23-22. However, Minnesota-Duluth scored the game's next three points to seal the win.
While it did not give the Huskies the win in the end, one of the focuses that Pindral had for her team was an improved defense. Those changes were on display throughout the match.
"They’re just relentless," she said. "You can’t teach hustle, and you can’t teach grit, and the team that we have right now certainly has it. We’re very thankful to have a group of players that absolutely will not let the ball die without a massive effort.
"They are flinging and sacrificing their bodies left and right to try to make a play happen. So, I’m very thankful that we have that type of mentality this year. It’s just going to be a really fun year with this type of defense."
The match also proved to be a statement for Wagner, who finished her night with 13 kills, an ace, a block, and two block assists.
"Paige has really grown a lot," said Pindral. "She was a sophomore captain for us in the Spring, and retains her captainship now as a third year. But, she has matured so much in her poise. She is a very low error player. You can rely on her in a lot of ways. She’s very intelligent with blocking and making good first moves, is able to close and do lots and lots of little things.
"She came to us with very good training in her club and all that stuff, but she’s just taken it on herself to grow her game. She’s very intentional with how she scouts her own film and self critiques. So, Paige is just a five-star player, and it’s just awesome to see her continue to grow."
Up next
The Huskies continue the UP North Tournament the rest of the weekend, with games against St. Cloud State, California State-East Bay, and finally Winona State.