GOLDEN, Colo. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team earned a pair of 3-1 wins on Saturday to finish 4-0 at the Oredigger Classic. The Huskies trailed in both matches but defeated No. 17 Colorado Mesa early in the day and tournament-host Colorado School of Mines in the finale.
"I don't know how else to say it, but that was as good a start to a season as we could've asked for," Tech coach
Matt Jennings said. "Not just the record, but how we got there and the way we played through it. We are starting to believe in ourselves, the focus and drive going forward will be everything.
"We're physical at the net and have an excellent setter that really spreads us out and keeps us marching. Our backcourt came through in a big way all weekend, and without what they gave us, we aren't able to keep the pressure on."
Tech was the only team to go 4-0 at the tournament with three wins over NCAA Tournament Teams from a year ago and a pair of wins over AVCA top 25 teams.
Junior
Meg Raabe was named MVP on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.6 kills and 4.0 points per set on the weekend. She tallied 54 kills, 14 digs, 8 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 aces.
Michigan Tech 3, No. 17 Colorado Mesa 1
The Mavericks won 25-20 in the opening set, but the Huskies responded, hitting over .300 in the next two frames and winning 25-21 and 25-15. In the fourth, Tech jumped out to a 9-1 lead. CMU battled back and led 23-21 before the Huskies put the match away, scoring the final four points which included the final kill by
Jacqueline Yancy.
Meg Raabe led a balanced Tech attack with 13 kills while hitting .344.
Jacqueline Yancy (8),
Kaycee Meiners (7), and
Rachel Zurek (6) also had over five kills.
Tess Hayes set the offense with 36 assists and
Amelia Albers led with 12 digs. Meiners added seven blocks at the net.
Michigan Tech 3, Colorado Mines 1
The Orediggers used some home cooking to take a 25-17 win in the first. The Huskies never trailed over the next two sets with a 25-12 domination in the second and a 25-18 win in the third. Tech went on an 8-1 run late in the fourth to take control and rode
Rachel Zurek who tallied five kills on only seven attempts in the frame. Zurek made it setpoint and a service error gave the Huskies a 25-21 win.
Zurek finished with a match-high 13 kills while hitting .476.
Jacqueline Yancy added 11 kills while
Meg Raabe (9 kills), Paige Wanger (9), and
Kaycee Meiners (8) also contributed to the offense.
Tess Hayes tallied 42 assists and 12 digs.
Amelia Albers set a career-high with 29 digs which included 10 in each of the final two sets.
"I'm incredibly proud of this group and the poise with which we played," Jennings added. "We had a great group of families, alumni, and friends here with us. We really felt their support, especially in that last one. We're going to enjoy the rest of our time here in the mountains and get back to work for next weekend. We have three very good teams at home to prep for."
Tech hosts the UP North Tournament next weekend at the SDC Gym. The Huskies open against No. 16 Minnesota Duluth on Friday at 10 a.m. They also play Findlay on Friday and No. 10 St. Cloud State on Saturday.
