WEEKEND MATCHES
• Michigan Tech travels to Hammond, Indiana, for the 18th annual Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover Tournament.
• The Huskies are the No. 4 seed from the GLIAC and open against G-MAC's No. 5 seed Findlay at 10 a.m. Eastern on Friday.
• Tech plays again at 3 p.m. Eastern versus Missouri-St. Louis, the No. 1 seed from the GLVC.
• Saturday's opponent will depend on Friday's results.
• The Huskies are 9-9 overall and 5-5 in the GLIAC.
 
CROSSOVER
• The 18th annual Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover Tournament, the nation's largest collegiate volleyball event at one venue, will be held in Hammond, Ind., at the Hammond SportsPlex on Oct. 16-17, 2026.
• The regional volleyball event will feature 37 NCAA Division II Midwest Region programs. The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) will be represented by 14 teams, Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) by 12 squads, and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association (GLIAC) will bring 11.

WATCH THE CROSSOVER
• Fans can watch the Crossover through ballertv.com or on the BallerTV app.
• Tournament passes cost $40.
 
HALL OF FAMER
• Sara (Nash) Hurley will be inducted into the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame this weekend in Houghton.
• She was a middle blocker for the volleyball Huskies from 1991-94.
• Tech went 81-53 over her four seasons and 57-10 over the final two seasons, twice going to the NCAA Tournament as regional finalists and winning the GLIAC Regular Season and GLIAC Tournament in 1994.
• Nash received AVCA All-Region and All-GLIAC Second Team honors in 1994.
• She ranks fourth in career blocks (398) and fifth in career blocks per game (0.97).

LAST TIME OUT
• Tech dropped a pair of GLIAC matches on the road, falling 3-0 at Parkside on Friday and 3-2 at Purdue Northwest on Saturday.
• Rachel Zurek led the offense with 3.57 kills per set, Madelynn Kreider set the attack with 7.88 assists per set, and Keeley Nellis led the defense with 4.63 digs per set.
 
GLIAC STATISTICAL RANKING
• Rachel Zurek is second in kills per set (4.13).
• Madelynn Kreider is third in assists per set (9.85).
• Keeley Nellis is sixth in digs per set (4.10).
• Amelia Albers is sixth in service aces per set (0.38).
 
NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKING
• Rachel Zurek is 10th in total kills (289) and 14th in kills per set (4.13).
 
MILESTONE MARKS
• On Sept. 22 at Northern Michigan, Rachel Zurek became the 12th player in program history to tally 1,000 kills. She ranks ninth all-time at Tech with 1,086 kills.
• On Sept. 25 in a sweep at Wayne State, Amelia Albers became the 14th player in program history to tally 1,000 digs. She ranks 13th all-time at Tech with 1,045 digs.

SCOUTING THE OILERS
• Findlay is 10-7 overall and 7-2 in the G-MAC. The only common opponent with the Huskies is Davenport, which the Oilers lost 3-1.
• Hannah Miller leads the team with 4.52 kills per set and 3.35 digs per set. Zoya Winkelfoos sets the offense with 7.63 assists per set.
• UF was picked second in the G-MAC Preseason Poll after going 24-6 overall last season and advancing to the NCAA Tournament
 
SCOUTING UMSL
• Missouri-St. Louis is 13-5 overall and 8-0 in the GLVC. The Tritons enter the weekend on an 11-match winning streak.
• Alayna Santel leads a balanced offense with 3.99 kills per set. Two of her teammates also average more than three kills per set. Marly Burbach sets the attack with 10.93 assists per set. Skylar Weaver leads the defense, averaging 4.22 digs per set.
• UMSL was the top pick in the GLVC Preseason Poll after going 26-5 last season and hosting the NCAA Regional.
 
GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Sept. 14 – Keeley Nellis – GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week
• Sept. 28 – Rachel Zurek – GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week
• Oct. 5 – Rachel Zurek – GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
• The final part of the schedule begins at Grand Valley State on Oct. 23 and Roosevelt on Oct. 24.
• The regular season wraps up with four straight home matches against Wayne State (Oct. 30), Grand Valley State (Oct. 31), NMU (Nov. 3), and Roosevelt (Nov. 7).
 
MVP OF MOUNTAIN LION CLASSIC
• Senior outside hitter Rachel Zurek was named the MVP of the UCCS Mountain Lion Classic.
• Zurek averaged 4.17 kills per set in the four matches while hitting .268. She tallied 17 kills in a five-set loss to UCCS, 17 kills in a five-set victory over St. Edward's, a career-best 24 kills in a five-set loss to South Dakota Mines, and 17 kills in a sweep of Midwestern State. Zurek added 11 digs and four block assists on the weekend.
 
UP NORTH ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• Senior outside hitter Rachel Zurek was named to the UP North All-Tournament Team.
• Zurek averaged 4.38 kills per set while hitting .275 during the opening weekend of play.
• She tallied 16 kills against Minnesota Duluth, 23 versus St. Cloud State, 14 in three sets against Cal State East Bay, and 17 in a sweep of Winona State. Zurek added five solo blocks, three block assists, and three digs.
 
COACH PINDRAL
• Cindy Pindral begins her second season as Head Coach after being named to the position on December 2, 2024.
• Pindral returned to the Huskies after being an Assistant Head Coach, Assistant Coach, and Volunteer Coach with the Huskies for seven seasons from 2016 to 2022.
• During her seven years with the Huskies, the team held a 139-62 overall record. Tech went to four straight NCAA Tournaments from 2017-21 and won a pair of regular-season GLIAC championships in the spring of 2021 and then repeated in the fall of 2021.
• As a freshman student-athlete at the University of Florida, Pindral was the starting setter for the Gators who went to the NCAA Sweet 16, won an SEC Championship, and were ranked as high as No. 10.
• She finished her collegiate career as a three-time starter at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She was an Academic All-American and All-RMAC selection.
 
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
• The Huskies return 10 student-athletes from 2025, with four who earned All-GLIAC honors.
• The Black and Gold welcome seven newcomers, with six freshmen and a transfer.
 
PRESEASON GLIAC POLL
1. Ferris State, 99 (9)
2. Grand Valley State, 90 (2)
3. Wayne State, 78
4. Northern Michigan, 73
5. Parkside, 69
6. Davenport, 52
7. Michigan Tech, 49
8. Purdue Northwest, 34
9. Saginaw Valley State, 32
10. Lake Superior State, 16
11. Roosevelt, 13

LAST SEASON
• Tech finished the 2025 season with a 12-16 overall record.
• The Huskies went 9-7 in the GLIAC to tie for fifth overall and were the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament.
• The Black and Gold were 6-3 at the SDC.

ALL-GLIAC RETURNERS
• Rachel Zurek – 2025 & 2024 All-GLIAC Second Team, 2023 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
• Paige Wagner – 2025 & 2024 All-GLIAC Second Team
• Madelynn Kreider – 2025 All-GLIAC Second Team
• Tricia Kennedy – 2025 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention
 
NCAA D1 TRANSFER ON ROSTER
• Keeley Nellis – Lamar University