PREVIEW: Huskies travel to Saginaw Valley State

THIS WEEKEND'S MATCHES
• No. 22 Michigan Tech hits the road for two straight weekends, beginning at Saginaw Valley State on Friday and Saturday.
• The Huskies and Cardinals will meet at 5 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Hamilton Gymnasium.
• Tech is 5-1 overall and is second in the GLIAC standings behind 7-1 Northern Michigan.

GLIAC NORTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Olivia Ghormley is the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week.
• She led the Huskies to a weekend sweep of No. 25 Ferris State after tallying 40 kills while hitting .330 on the weekend. She added three block assists and a pair of digs.
• Ghormley ranks second in the GLIAC in kills per set (4.13) and is eighth in hitting percentage (.291).

IN THE AVCA POLL
• Tech is ranked No. 22 in this week's AVCA Division II Coaches' Poll.
• The Huskies were ranked No. 23 on February 25 and received votes last week and in the preseason poll.
• Tech was ranked in the Top 25 in eight polls in 2019 and climbed as high as No. 20 on November 5.

LAST TIME OUT
• Tech earned a weekend sweep of No. 25 Ferris State last weekend at the SDC Gym. The Huskies won 3-2 Friday and 3-1 Saturday.
• Friday's win was the first over Ferris State since November 2009, snapping an 18-match losing streak.
• Saturday's win sealed a pair of wins over the Bulldogs for the first time since the 2008 season.
• All nine players available for the Huskies contributed to the weekend sweep.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Laura De Marchi leads the GLIAC in assists per set (12.58)
• Olivia Ghormley is second in the GLIAC in kills per set (4.13)
• Janie Grindland is second in the GLIAC in blocks per set (1.42)
• Megan Utlak is fourth in the GLIAC in digs per set (5.04)
• Janie Grindland is fifth in the GLIAC in hitting percentage (.333)
• Anna Jonynas is sixth in the GLIAC in kills per set (3.75)

PRESEASON GLIAC POLL
• In the 2021 Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Huskies led the North Division with 60 points. Ferris State was eight points back while also taking a pair of first-place votes. Northern Michigan (38), Saginaw Valley State (34), Northwood (20), and Lake Superior State (12) rounded out the North.
• Ashland was the top choice in the South Division with 56 points and eight first-place votes. Grand Valley State was six points back. Wayne State (43) was third followed by Davenport (34), Parkside (21), and Purdue Northwest (12).

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
• Saginaw Valley State is 2-6 overall and 1-4 on their home court.
• The Cardinals swept Lake Superior State last weekend in a home and home series with two 3-0 victories.
• SVSU was picked fourth in the North Division in the GLIAC Coaches' Poll.
• Maria Vukaj leads the offense at 3.84 kills per set. Kelsey Vittitow averages 4.29 digs per set.
• Will Stanton is in his 17th season as head coach of the Cardinals.

LAST MEETINGS
• The teams split their two meetings last season with each squad winning on their home court.
• Tech swept SVSU on September 27 at the SDC Gym.
• The Cardinals won in five on November 16.

MILESTONES MARKS
• Olivia Ghormley – 1,365 kills (4th in program history)
• Laura De Marchi – 3,890 assists (3rd in program history)
• Megan Utlak – 1,417 digs (5th in program history)
• Anna Jonynas – 1,201 digs (8th in program history)

COACH JENNINGS
• Head coach Matt Jennings is in his ninth season and has won 140 matches overall.
• Under Jennings, the Huskies have gone from last place in the conference to nationally ranked and consistently in the NCAA Tournament.
• Jennings has coached the Huskies to three straight NCAA tournament appearances and the program's first NCAA win since 1995.
• He was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2017 and led the team to a program-record of 10 straight wins to start the 2016 season.

LAST SEASON
The Huskies finished last season with a 24-8 overall record, winning the most matches since 1996. They went to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season and advanced with the first NCAA win since 1995.

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
• Laura De Marchi and Olivia Ghormley were named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division II Honorable Mention All-Americans in 2019. Both were honored by the organization for the second year in a row. Ghormley also added All-America Honorable Mention honors from the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA).
• De Marchi led the GLIAC in assists per set at 11.59 to rank seventh in the nation and sixth in program history. She also tallied 260 digs, 81 kills, 40 blocks, and 20 service aces.
• Ghormley finished third in the GLIAC in kills per set (4.03) and points per set (4.4). She tallied double-digit kills 25 times in 2019, including seven matches with 20 kills.

ALL-GLIAC RETURNEES
• Laura De Marchi – 3-time GLIAC Setter of the Year, 3-time All-GLIAC First Team
• Olivia Ghormley – 2-time GLIAC Attacker of the Year, 2-time All-GLIAC First Team
• Megan Utlak – 2-time All-GLIAC Honorable Mention

REST OF THE SCHEDULE
• March 26-27 at Grand Valley State
• April 2 vs. Northern Michigan
• April 3 at Northern Michigan