The Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team achieved a convincing 3-0 victory over GLIAC newcomer Roosevelt on Saturday at the SDC Gym. Junior outside hitter Meg Raabe led the team with 12 kills, while fifth-year middle blocker Kaycee Meiners contributed 10.
The Huskies started strong, hitting .412 in the first set, winning 25-21. They followed that with victories of 25-20 and 25-16 in the next two sets.
“It was a fun match, and we won,” said Huskies coach Matt Jennings. “I’m happy we took care of business.”
The Lakers had recently taken the first set against Northern Michigan, so Jennings emphasized the need for his team to stay alert. “They proved they have some strong players,” he said. “We had to be prepared.”
This match was significant for Jennings, as it marked the first time he faced Roosevelt coach Nicasio Paquiz Jr. on the court since Paquiz was his assistant at Michigan Tech. Jennings reflected on the special moment. “It was fun to coach against him,” he said. “I think the world of him. He’s a top-notch person and a great teacher of the game.”
Coming off a loss to Northern Michigan, Jennings wanted a strong response from his team. “It was important for us to bounce back,” he said. “This marks the unofficial end of the first half of our season. We wanted to finish strong going into the crossover. It’s nice to get a win here for our fans and the Pep Band.”
A key factor in the Huskies’ success was their serve-receive game. They faced 47 serves and committed only five return errors, achieving a .904 percentage. “I focused on our serve-receive, and it was solid,” Jennings noted. “We had some moments, but overall, our passing was good enough to win and get our hitters going.”
Sophomore Jacqueline Yancy also stood out, contributing nine kills and nine digs. “I’m happy to see Jackie have a good game,” Jennings said. “When we’re playing well, we can be a strong team.”
With this victory, the Huskies improved to 9-6 overall and 5-3 in GLIAC play, tying for fourth in the conference with Wayne State. Next, they head to Hammond, Indiana, for the Midwest Regional Crossover. Jennings anticipates the Huskies will enter the tournament as the fourth seed, just like last year.
“We don’t have any bad losses,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of strong teams and won many matches. I think we’ll represent well in the crossover.”
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