UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team won its fourth straight match with a 3-0 sweep at Saginaw Valley State on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies won 28-26, 25-19, and 25-18 at Hamilton Gym to improve to 7-6 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC.
 
"This was another important win for us today, and I'm glad that we were able to take care of the task at hand," Tech coach Cindy Pindral said. "We were challenged at times, especially in the first set, but we maintained composure and scored when it mattered most. Our serving game was strong, and we made it difficult for Saginaw to have a balanced offense."
 
The opening set saw both teams go on a pair of 4-0 runs. There were 12 ties and five lead changes. The Huskies survived three setpoints. Rachel Zurek had a kill for Tech's second setpoint and 27-26 lead, and then Paige Wagner served an ace for the 28-26 win. Zurek was dominant with six kills on seven attempts in the first set.
 
In the second, the teams went through eight different lead changes. Trailing 19-18, the Huskies scored the last seven points to take a 2-0 lead at the break. Paige Wagner served six of the points in the late rally with a pair of aces, and Rachel Zurek put down the winner, her fifth of the frame.
 
The Huskies used a 9-2 run in the middle of the third set to start taking control. The Cardinals made a push late, but Tech closed out the match, scoring four of the final five points with Rachel Zurek once again securing the final kill.
 
Rachel Zurek tallied a match-high 15 kills while hitting .519. Madelyn Torola notched a season-best nine kills. Paige Wagner tallied seven kills, five aces, and a pair of blocks. Jacqueline Yancy added six kills, Tess Hayes set the offense with 36 assists, and Julia Fledderjohn led with 11 digs.
 
"Rachel had another impressive outing," added Pindral. "Her positive presence on the court is so vital to our team's success, and she knows how to make big plays at crucial times.

"Paige was solid and efficient. She's a strong net presence and is really developing her game in the backcourt as well.

"Madelyn Torola had a great match and had some clutch swings when we needed a momentum shift. She's a fun player to coach and will only continue to get better in her time here."
 
SVSU (6-9, 1-5 GLIAC) was led by Rachel Townsend with 14 kills and seven digs. Jackie Scheiber had 31 assists.
 
Tech returns home to host Northern Michigan on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the SDC Gym.