Huskies had chances in second and third sets
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team fell 3-0 at No. 1 Ferris State on Saturday. The Bulldogs won 25-19, 27-25, and 25-22 at Bulldog Arena. The Huskies are now 14-11 overall and 8-7 in the GLIAC and wrap up the regular season next weekend on the road.
“Credit to Ferris for being an exceptional team and playing very well tonight,” Tech coach Matt Jennings said. “There’s a reason they’re undefeated.
“It’s still frustrating to know we had opportunities to win in the second and third sets and didn’t finish. I thought many parts of our offense put us in a position to win late in sets, but again, credit to Ferris for closing it out.”
The Bulldogs used a 4-0 run to break a 7-7 tie and then a 5-0 rally later in the first to take command. Four different Huskies had at least two kills in the opening set with Meg Raabe putting down three.
There were 10 ties and nine lead changes in the second. The Huskies led 19-14 before the Bulldogs rallied to tie it at 21. The Huskies held setpoint after a kill by Rachel Zurek, but the home team answered and then held setpoint of its own. Jacqueline Yancy extended the set again, but the FSU got a kill by Claire Nowicki and an ace to take the 2-0 lead at the break. Abbi Perkins led Tech with four kills in the second.
The third set was more of the same with nine ties and six lead changes. The Huskies had a 21-20 advantage before the No. 1 team in the nation closed out the match, scoring five of the final six points to remain undefeated. The balanced Tech offense saw five Huskies with a pair of kills in the third.
Meg Raabe led Tech with 10 kills while Abbi Perkins (8), Kaycee Meiners (7), Rachel Zurek (6), and Paige Wagner (4) also contributed to the offense. Tess Hayes tallied 32 assists. Brynn Erickson led the defense with eight digs.
Tech’s final trip of the regular season is to Saginaw Valley State on Friday and Lake Superior State on Saturday.