Huskies volleyball takes two of three to close out UP North Tournament
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MARQUETTE -- After dropping their opening match of the season, the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team continued the UP North Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Huskies dropped second match in five sets to St. Cloud State Friday before sweeping two straight matches Saturday to improve to 2-2 on the season.
Huskies sweep two matches Saturday
The Huskies earned a pair of sweeps on Saturday to wrap up the weekend in the UP North Volleyball Tournament. The Huskies swept Cal State-East Bay in the morning match and Winona State in the afternoon..
“We had a great day of quality play and learning experiences against two formidable teams,” Huskies coach Cindy Pindral said. “Cal State-East Bay really tested us with their tough serving, scrappy defense, and high-energy style of play, but we were able to pull out a tightly contested win with our relentless offense and some well-timed defensive saves.
“Winona State’s net play was aggressive, but we were able to get creative with our scoring to pull ahead in each set and come away with quality wins. Credit to our team for focusing on quality first contacts and sticking to our game plans for both matches. We are getting more comfortable with our lineup, and I am looking forward to our next matches.”
Michigan Tech defeated the Pioneers 25-16, 25-23, and 25-22 for its first win of the season. The Black and Gold tallied 10 more kills and outhit the opponent .219 to .081
Senior outside hitter Rachel Zurek led the Huskies with 14 kills and hit .323, while freshma outside hitter Kayla Heinonen (7) and sophomore right side hitter Madelyn Torola (6) also had over five kills in a balanced offensive attack. Sophoomre setter Madelynn Kreider tallied 31 assists, while senior defensive specialist Brynn Erickson (12) and senior defensive specialist Amelia Albers (11) led in digs.
The second match saw 14 ties and seven lead changes, but the Huskies never dropped a set, earning their second sweep of the day 25-21, 25-18, and 25-17. Tech hit .303 as a team and forced the Warriors into .132 and 24 errors.
Zurek again led the way, hitting .366 with 17 kills, including nine in the first set alone. Torola hit .440 and tallied 14 kills, with six coming in the second. Heinonen added 11 kills and nine digs. Kreider set the offense with 36 assists and notched a match-high 17 digs. Erickson was also in double figures defensively with 12 digs.
“Rachel Zurek was incredible offensively for us this entire weekend, but today she really put on a show,” said Pindral. “Some of the swings she took in out-of-system situations were next-level, and she backed it up with some big-time blocks. Her passing was excellent as well, so it is exciting to watch her grow into a very well-rounded outside hitter.
“Kayla Heinonen and Maddie Torola both had great showings as well and came up with a lot of offense today. Both players bring so much consistency and level-headed play that it helps keep us marching.
“Brynn Erickson was so tough and disciplined on defense and serve receive today. She turned so many hard attacks into easy digs that kept us in-system.”
Huskies drop five-setter to No. 5 St. Cloud State
Michigan Tech fell 3-2 to No. 5 St. Cloud State on Friday afternoon at the UP North Tournament at Vandament Arena. Michigan Tech handed SCSU its first set losses of the year, but the Huskies from Minnesota won 15-11 in the fifth.
“It was another incredible five-set match, and I am so proud of this team for playing to their potential again after a heartbreaker last night,” Pindral said. “Our defense was lights out and at times our offense was unstoppable. We serve-received very well, and Maddy Kreider directed our offense with so much strategy and excellent execution. Rachel and Keeley were players of the game for us, and Brynn was amazing too.
“Of course, we wanted this to go our way in the end, but we consider this a win given the way we played. We will rest and regroup for two matches tomorrow where we will be tasked with maintaining the same level of play.”
The match followed a similar pattern as Thursday against Minnesota-Duluth, with the Black and Gold taking the first (25-19) and fourth (25-19) sets. SCSU won 25-17 and 25-23 in the second and third frames. Both matches were two hours and 20 minutes long.
There were 18 ties and 10 lead changes Friday, with eight lead changes in the first and seven in the third.
Zurek tallied a match-high 23 kills while hitting .286. einonen notched 10 kills and 15 digs. Senior middle blocker Tricia Kennedy (nine kills), Torola (eight kills), and junior middle blocker Paige Wagner (seven kills) added to the offense. Kreider set the attack with 52 assists.
Junior libero Keeley Nellis tallied 29 digs to lead four Huskies in double figures. Kreider (13) and Erickson (12) also hit double figures defensively.
The Huskies in red improved to 4-0 and were led in kills by Carlie Willis and Shelby Kimm with 20. Braya LaPlant tallied 43 assists, while Kimm and Laurin Hamann racked up 25 digs.
Up next
Michigan Tech travels to Colorado Springs to compete in the Mountain Lion Classic. The Huskies will face host Colorado-Colorado Springs Thursday, St. Edwards and South Dakota Mines on Friday, and Midwestern State on Saturday.