Huskies volleyball returns home to face tough opponents
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HOUGHTON -- With the opening of the GLIAC season last weekend, the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team continued to have some success, and make some mistakes en route to another split, losing in five sets to the Davenport Panthers Friday before defeating the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals Saturday in four sets.
The Huskies are 1-5 in five set matches after the loss to the Panthers, and 5-5 on the season as a whole.
"Overall, we’re continuing to battle, we’re continuing to learn a lot about ourselves and how to perform in high pressure moments," said Huskies coach Cindy Pindral. "Davenport is a very good team. They’re very tall. They have a lot of weapons offensively, and they put up a very solid block. So, we knew, going into that match, that we had quite a task ahead of us and to really respect that opponent. I’m happy that we battled so well and we had quite a few moments where we were rolling, doing all the things we wanted to, and then we had some moments where we were reeling at times too."
With so many five-set matches, Pindral is proud of how her team is not backing down from any opponent. However, she is also trying to be cognizant of how much volleyball her team has already played this season.
"I’m glad that we're fighting, but, of course, just another five-setter that we would have preferred to come out on the other side of," Pindral said of the Davenport match. "We’re learning that, when things get after you’ve been playing for two and a half hours, our skill and our attention need to be at the peaking in that fifth set. We can’t just rely on our passion and energy in set five to get us through.
"We’re turning the attention in practice to being much more detail-oriented and really trying to put the ownership on the girls to communicate with each other about what’s going on, be proactive about game plan, sticking to the game plan, things like that."
Saturday, the match could very easily have slipped into another five-set marathon, but Pindral was proud of how her team's leadership kept that from happening for the first time this season.
"When it got tight in set four against Saginaw, there was a point where our leaders on the court made a big play, or something like that. You could just feel the momentum shift of them being like, 'All right, we are putting our foot down. We are finishing this in four. We are not taking this into a fifth set. We are taking control of this match right now.
"So, I was very happy to see that mentality shift. That was completely on the girls to take that on themselves. The girls were like, 'Oh, OK, we are done here, and we are taking control.'"
Senior outside hitter Rachel Zurek has been a big part of that leadership. She has a team-high 183 kills, and she is averaging 4.26 per set.
"Rachel is great," said Pindral. "She’s so athletic. She is continuing to grow. I know she only has a couple more months left in her career collegiately, but she continues to find ways to improve. She’s very inquisitive about the game. She really cares about scouting reports and improving her game."
Helping her with being an even more effective hitter is sophomore setter Madelynn Kreider, who has 428 assists already this season, averaging 9.95 per set, which is third in the GLIAC.
"That’s another one that has a very high attention to detail," Pindral said. "She cares so deeply about her own success, but also the team's success. She’s a very selfless leader. Everything is about the team.
"I’m working with her one-on-one on a couple of form things, or decision making things. But, generally speaking, she is a servant leader, and she is doing everything that she can to make sure that the team has success."
While the offense continues to improve, Pindral is also proud of how well the Huskies are playing defensively. That starts with junior libero Keeley Nellis, who was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
"We spent almost the entirety of our spring working on our backcourt defense, improving our range, improving our touch," said Pindral. "So, I’m very flattered that’s happening, and I’m really happy with that. Keeley has been a very welcome addition to that.
"She’s like a machine back there. When she’s on, it’s like every ball is up, and it’s not just up, but it’s up and in a good spot. Our conversion rate, meaning that we’re getting a quality kill or at least a quality attack, we’re putting the opponent out of system. Keeley’s conversion rate when she’s digging the ball is very high. So, we are very happy that teams continue to hit at her."
Nellis leads the Huskies with 179 digs this season.
Scouting the Bulldogs
The No. 1 Ferris State Bulldogs enter this week 10-0 after sweeping Roosevelt and defeating Wisconsin-Parkside in five sets.
The Bulldogs are led offensively by junior outside hitter Gabby Piazza, who has 130 kills. Junior outside hitter Emily May has also been very good with 96 kills.
Senior setter Corrie Wisser leads the service game with 11 aces. Piazza has eight.
Scouting the Panthers
The Panthers come to Houghton after the Huskies traveled to face them last weekend. This is the first of three times the Huskies will face an opponent in this manner this season. The Panthers swept Purdue Northwest after defeating the Huskies Friday.
Senior outside hitter Abby Alan leads the team offensively with 97 kills. Junior right side hitter Jaide Wirth has 86 kills.
Alan leads the Panthers' service game with 18 aces. Freshman setter Keira Dommer has also been good, racking up 14 aces.
Game times
The Huskies and Bulldogs will battle Friday at 6 p.m. to open Alumni Weekend at the SDC Gym. Saturday, the Huskies host the Panthers at 4 p.m.