Huskies advance to GLIAC Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Davenport (16-12) | 25 | 14 | 21 | 25 | 1 |
|
Michigan Tech (24-5) | 16 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 3 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The No. 20-ranked Michigan Tech volleyball team advanced to the GLIAC Championship Match with a 3-1 victory over Davenport Saturday (Nov. 20) at the SDC Gym. The Huskies won 16-25, 25-14, 25-21, and 27-25.
"It was a gutsy team win," Tech coach Matt Jennings said. "I'm very happy we advanced. Every win is a big one, especially in the playoffs. That's a team that's been playing good ball. They improved all year and were playing their best. We dug deep as a team and got it done."
The Huskies will play Ferris State in the GLIAC Championship Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the SDC Gym. It is the third straight season Tech will make an appearance in the finale and is the sixth appearance in program history. The Huskies and Bulldogs also met in the 2019 and 2017 finals which were played in Big Rapids.
"I like the matchup," added Jennings. "I know that they are a good team and have weapons that can really score, but there's not a team we would rather be playing than Ferris. This is what we've fought for and what we have worked so hard for. Tomorrow's going to be a beautiful day."
Down 1-0 after the first set, the Huskies had to climb back in. They were again trailing early in the second before using a 12-2 run to take a 17-8 advantage. Lindy Oujiri closed out the set with three kills down the stretch. Jillian Kuizenga had five kills in the second.
There were seven ties in the third. Knotted at 17, the Huskies scored three straight and closed on an 8-4 run to take their first lead of the match. The GLIAC Player of the Year Anna Jonynas got hot with seven kills in the third.
The fourth was a see-saw battle with five different lead changes. Davenport used a 4-0 run to take a 16-12 lead. The Huskies battled back to tie it up at 21. Jillian Kuizenga had a kill for a setpoint lead for the Huskies 24-23. The Panthers answered with a kill and an ace to take a setpoint lead of their own. From there, Laura De Marchi turned back to Kuizenga for three straight kills to send the Huskies to the finale. Both Jonynas and Kuizenga had seven kills in the fourth set.
Jonynas finished with 21 kills and added 10 digs. Kuizenga was one short of a career-high with 16 kills. Oujiri rounded out double-digit kills with 11. De Marchi set the attack for the Huskies with 45 assists and added a career-best 22 digs. Megan Utlak (18 digs) and Grace Novotny (14 digs) were also in double figures defensively.
Hayley Kreiger had a match-high 23 kills for the Panthers. Nicole Odeen recorded 26 assists while Kenzy Corstange and Stephanie Kalinowski tallied 15 digs each.
