By DAVER KARNOSKY

dkarnosky@mininggazette.com

UNIVERSITY CENTER — With the final roadtrip of the season this weekend, the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team heads out to face a pair of opponents they have already beaten this season, looking to lock down the fifth spot in the GLIAC Tournament and a matchup with Wayne State next Wednesday.

In order for the Huskies to get to that point, they need wins over Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State. Michigan Tech is 14-11 overall at this point and 8-7 in conference play.

The Huskies are coming off a weekend where they dropped the first set to the Davenport Panthers before storming back to take the next three sets to win the match. They followed that up with a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Ferris State in a match that was closer than the score would indicate.

“I think our standard in how we play top teams is we want to win, and I thought we were in a position to win two of those sets at least,” said Huskies coach Matt Jennings about his team battled the Bulldogs. “On one hand, that’s a pretty good thing. Ferris hasn’t lost a match all year. We played them really tough. There were moments there where we looked really good. Some of the same things kind of keep on biting us, but that’s what it is, and that’s kind of where we are.

“We’ve been in a lot of these close games against these top teams, and beating teams often, than we should. So I thought sets two, three and four against Davenport were really strong for us and that was nice to see.”

In the match against Davenport on Friday, the Huskies had a big effort out of fifth-year right side hitter Abbi Perkins, who racked up a season-high 13 kills in just her fourth match of the season.

“That was great,” Jennings said. “Definitely a feel-good moment from the weekend to see Abbi go off the way she did. (She is a) wonderful human being. Been working really hard, made the most of her opportunity, I think, really, starting on Senior Night. Had some nice swings for us, and I should say that starts in practice.

“She’s been working hard every day there, but it was a bit of a homecoming for her too. She’s from the Grand Rapids area. To get her in, and to have her perform the way she did in front of her family and friends like that, was special. It was certainly something to help us play well.”

Perkins had only seen action in three sets before that match, but she came in off the bench and made a mark on all four sets.

“I think everyone tries to find their role in the team the best they can,” said Jennings. “Look, Abbi hits a hard ball. She’s a seasoned veteran. Every day in practice she’s added something for us, for sure. Obviously, her attitude has been positive enough for where she can come in late in the season like this and still have a lot to give. I think that’s a testament to her positive attitude, or just her maturity, in general.”

In the Davenport match, the other storyline that emerged was the way freshman middle blocker Paige Wagner approached the service game. She racked up six aces in the match, which was three times more than any other player.

“She’s so easy to root for,” Jennings said. “She’s such a positive attitude and very coachable, incredibly smart, and just a caring teammate. (She) works very hard. If you watch her play, you will start to see, like, the small things that she does to get big things done; just thumb down, the way she can manage a block, adding her serve. When she’s playing defense, she’s even giving us something there. So, Paige just does it all pretty well. It’s only going to get better.”

SCOUTING THE

CARDINALS

The Saginaw Valley State Cardinals come into this weekend ninth in the GLIAC standings, still looking for wins to climb into the GLIAC Tournament. They are 6-19 overall and 3-11 in GLIAC play after a pair of sweeps at the hands of Grand Valley State and Wayne State last weekend.

They are led offensively by senior outside hitter Sarah Veale, who has 320 kills this season, which is almost 200 more than her nearest teammate. Senior outside hitter Sedona Coon has also been good, with 155 kills.

Junior defensive specialist Elizabeth Bruschuk leads the service game with 23 aces, five more than Veale.

The Huskies defeated the Cardinals, 3-2, on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the SDC Gym.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS

The Lake Superior State Lakers are also in the discussion for the GLIAC Tournament with two matches left in the season. They are 7-18 overall and 2-12 in conference play after getting swept last weekend by both Wayne State and Grand Valley State.

The Lakers are led offensively by sophomore outside hitter Gia Waters, who has 180 kills this season. Sophomore middle hitter Morgan Deming has also been good, racking up 167 kills.

Freshman middle hitter Giselle Wiitanen, whose family is from the Copper Country, has 24 kills in her first season with Lake Superior State.

Senior defensive specialist Jordyn Haller leads the service game with 26 aces. Junior setter Vanessa Swerdon has 24.

The Huskies defeated the Lakers, 3-0, back on Friday, Oct. 4, at the SDC Gym.

GAME TIMES

The Huskies and Cardinals are set for an opening serve of 7 p.m. on Friday. Saturday, the Huskies and Lakers match-up at 2 p.m.