Zurek led Huskies with 14 kills
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team fell 3-1 to No. 21 Grand Valley State on Saturday at the SDC Gym. The Huskies won the first set 25-17 before the Lakers took the final three, 25-21, 25-15, and 25-16.
Tech fell to 13-12 overall and 8-6 in the GLIAC. GVSU improved to 20-6 overall and 12-2 in the conference play.
“I thought we started off strong and let off in some areas over time,” Tech coach Cindy Pindral said. “It wasn’t our best outing, but they’re a great team, and they have a great record for a reason.
“We have so much opportunity next week with a couple of winnable matches on our home court.”
The match had 23 ties and eight lead changes throughout. Tech hit .452 in the first and had six different players put down at least two kills. The Huskies closed out the opening set with eight straight points.
GVSU tied it up in the second, winning 25-21 after it was tied at 18. The Lakers hit .467, and Paige Sanders tallied five kills.
The Lakers built a 10-point lead in the third and cruised to a 25-15 win. They put down 15 kills to Tech’s eight.
There were 11 ties and three lead changes in the fourth. Tied at 11, the visitors finished the match on a 14-5 run to split the season series with the Huskies.
Rachel Zurek led the Huskies with 14 kills. Reagan Lesley was also in double figures with 10 kills while hitting .333. Madelynn Kreider set the attack with 45 assists while adding nine digs. Amelia Albers led the Black and Gold with 17 digs. Kayla Heinonen finished with 13 digs, nine kills, and four aces. Keeley Nellis added 14 digs and is now three shy of 1,000 for her career.
Grace Busold tallied a match-high 15 kills, Gabby Orlet recorded 49 assists, and Lexi Armstrong registered 23 digs.
The regular season wraps up next weekend at the SDC Gym. The Huskies host rival Northern Michigan on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The weekend wraps up on Saturday against Roosevelt at 3 p.m. on Senior Day.
