MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team fell 3-1 on the road at Northern Michigan on Thursday. The Huskies won the first 25-22 before falling 25-23, 25-17, and 25-15.
 
"Congrats to Coach Mike and his Wildcats for being the better team tonight," tech coach Matt Jennings said. "They served us off the court and that was the difference maker in a big way. Our passing was poor again tonight, which makes it hard to get things going at the net.
 
"Rachel continues to be excellent for us, especially on the offensive side of the ball."
 
The Huskies trailed by as many as seven in the opening set before mounting a late comeback. The visitors went on a 6-1 run and then took the lead after an 8-1 run. Rachel Zurek got hot with five kills in the first, including the clincher.
 
Tech used a 9-1 run late in the second set to take a 22-20 lead, but the home team was able to finish on a 5-1 rally of its own to tie the match at the break. Paige Wagner, Meg Raabe, and Rachel Zurek each had three kills.
 
NMU (10-4, 6-1 GLIAC) took the lead in the third after hitting .333 and controlling the play down the stretch. Seven different Huskies put down a kill with Meg Raabe and Rachel Zurek combining for eight, but Jacqueline Smith had the final two kills for NMU as part of her match-high 18 kills on the night.
 
The Wildcats controlled the fourth after hitting .448 and forcing the Huskies into .115. Rachel Zurek continued to lead the Huskies with four kills in the set.
 
Rachel Zurek tied her career-high with 16 kills while hitting .364. Meg Raabe was also in double figures offensively with 10 kills. Kaycee Meiners (8 kills) and Paige Wagner (7 kills) added to the offense set by Tess Hayes with 41 assists. Amelia Albers led the Huskies with 19 digs while Jacqueline Yancy added 12.
 
The Huskies are now 8-6 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC and host Roosevelt in their first meeting with the Lakers. First serve on Saturday is 2 p.m. at the SDC Gym.