ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- The sizzling Michigan Tech volleyball team
extended its winning streak to four matches, after recording
victories over St. Mary's and Winona State Friday at the Flyer
Festival hosted by Lewis. The Huskies dispatched St. Mary's 3-0
(30-20, 30-25, 30-16) to start the day and capped day two of the
tournament by handing Winona State a 3-2 (23-30, 30-24, 34-32,
21-30, 15-12) setback.
"Everything came together for us today," said head coach Krista
Mikesch. "We are really growing as a team right now and I am very
proud of how far we have come since last weekend. In our first
three matches of this tournament we've shown a lot of heart against
strong competition."
Michigan Tech made quick work of St. Mary's in a match that lasted
about an hour and ten minutes.
Superior Player of the Match accolades went to sophomore Jen Jung
(Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids), who led all players with 13 kills.
Jung hit .524 and notched one block assist.
Senior Amanda Neuhalfen (Arlington, Neb.) and sophomore Veronica
Armstrong (Battle Creek, Mich./Central) each contributed eight
kills. Redshirt freshman Kelly Jorgensen (Eden Prairie, Minn.)
added four kills and two block assists.
Senior Amanda Mackethun (Waconia, Minn./Mayer Lutheran) and
freshman Alison Green (Andover, Minn./Totino Grace) each doled out
16 assists.
The Huskies secured a .341 hitting percentage, compared to a .074
clip for St. Mary's.
"The team played our type of volleyball and the results showed
that," said Mikesch. "Everybody had a chance to get on the court
and that was very helpful."
In the nightcap, Tech dropped game one, but then rebounded with
hard-fought wins in games two and three.
A pivotal point in the contest came in game three, as the Huskies
battled through five match points before mounting a 34-32
triumph.
The Warriors evened the score in game four, but Tech never trailed
in the final frame and put together an 8-5 run to close the
match.
"We really rose to the occasion in the third game and again in the
fifth game," said Mikesch. "Winona State was probably the best team
we have played so far this year. It was very encouraging to see us
respond to adversity and come up with a huge win."
Three players registered double-digits in kills, including Superior
Player of the Match Kelly Jorgensen. She blasted 14 kills, one of
which came at match point, while also devising a .545 hitting
percentage. Jorgensen also turned in three block assists.
Junior Kali Jeter (Middleton, Wis.) provided a team-high 15 kills,
along with nine digs, one service ace and one block solo. Jen Jung
chipped in 12 kills and five block assists, while sister Christa
Jung (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) had six kills, one service ace
and five block assists. Veronica Armstrong offered eight kills, 12
digs, two block solos and one block assist.
Amanda Mackenthun had 12 digs and distributed 27 helpers. Alison
Greene added nine digs and 23 helpers.
Redshirt freshman Kaari Nevanen (Duluth, Minn./East) crafted
another strong performance at libero, as she poured in 18 digs and
one service ace.
Michigan Tech held a slight 12-11 edge in total blocks, while
Winona State notched 71 digs to the Huskies' 65.
Michigan Tech (4-3) concludes the Flyer Festival Saturday against
West Florida at 10 a.m.
