Huskies volleyball drops yet another five-setter
Michigan Tech falls at Northern Michigan Tuesday
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MARQUETTE -- The Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team played their seventh five-set match and fell 3-2 at Northern Michigan Tuesday evening. The Huskies won sets two and four, but the Wildcats took the fifth 15-10.
“We fought hard and put on a good show, but unfortunately couldn’t pull it all together at the end,” Huskies coach Cindy Pindral said. “Our blocking came alive tonight, and Rachel had an outstanding offensive performance, but it wasn’t enough to earn a road win. We will turn our attention to a tough match in Detroit on Friday.”
The match saw 25 ties and 11 lead changes and lasted two hours and 26 minutes. Northern Michigan hit .414 in the opening set and won 25-18 to take the lead.
Senior outside hitter Rachel Zurek tallied five kills for the Huskies, while Kaylie McIntosh and Anna O’Keefe also put down five kills for the home team.
The Huskies never trailed in the second to tie it at the break, 25-22. Northern Michigan had more kills but also committed 11 errors. Freshman outside hitter Kayla Heinonen recorded six kills for the Huskies on nine attempts.
Northern Michigan won the third 25-21 after 12 ties and six different lead changes. The home team scored seven of the final 10 points to take the 2-1 lead.
Zurek tallied five kills for Michigan Tech and McIntosh had eight kills for Northern Michigan.
Michigan Tech forced a fifth set after winning 25-21 in the fourth. The Black and Gold never trailed and quickly jumped out to a four-point lead.
Northern Michigan made a late push, but the Huskies rode the hot hand of Zurek, who put down five kills in the fourth on seven attempts.
There were five ties early in the fifth before the home team was able to build a three-point lead. The Huskies couldn’t get closer, and Northern Michigan finished on a 4-1 run.
Zurek finished one kill short of her career-high with 24 kills while hitting .340. Heinonen finished with 11 kills and 16 digs. Senior outside hitter Jacqueline Yancy added season-best 10 kills.
Sophomore setter Madelynn Kreider set the attack with 52 assists and added a career-best 19 digs. Junior defensive specialist Madelyn Elsen (12), junior libero Keeley Nellis (11), and senior defensive specialis Amelia Albers (10) also had double-digit digs.
McIntosh led Northern Michigan with a match-high 28 digs. Allie Barlow tallied 61 assists, and Liesl Haugen recorded 16 digs.
Up next
Michigan Tech continues on the road this week at Wayne State Friday night. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. in Detroit.