SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – In their final home match of the 2017 season, the Lake Superior State volleyball team took on the Michigan Tech Huskies in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium. The Lakers (3-19, 1-12 GLIAC) staved off defeat with a victory in the third set, but ultimately fell to the Huskies 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16).
Despite the strong play of the Huskies (16-8, 10-3 GLIAC), Lake Superior managed to hold with Michigan Tech through the early going of the set. An Amanda Reid service ace, followed by a kill by Brooke Williams made the score 11-9 Huskies. Michigan Tech then went on an 8 point run to put the set out of reach. With the Huskies knocking on the door, Lake Superior managed to stave off defeat, as blocks by Jen Marren, Karlee Weissend and Elizabeth Ballor led to consecutive attack errors by the Huskies. A kill by the Huskies' Laura DeMarchi gave Michigan Tech the set by a score of 25-15.
The Lakers got off to a good start in the second set, as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the women from Houghton. The Huskies struck back, however, as they went on a 6-1 run to take a 7-4 lead. Lake Superior chipped away at the lead, eventually pulling within two. Michigan Tech then scored the next four points, making the score 18-12 and causing Lakers head coach Dave Schmidlin to take a timeout. Although Lake State was able to regain some momentum, the Huskies' lead was too much to overcome, resulting in a 25-18 win for Tech.
Michigan Tech started off hot in the third set, as they opened up a 6-1 lead. Lake Superior responded with a run of their own, pulling within one. The Lakers kept pace with the Huskies through the set, eventually pulling ahead 22-21 with a kill by Ballor. The Huskies fought back, tying the set at 23. Marren came up with a kill, bringing the crowd to life and putting the Lakers on the brink. An intense volley was ended by an Amanda Reid kill, giving Lake Superior the set, 25-23.
In the fourth set, the Lakers started off on the wrong foot, as Michigan Tech gained a 9-3 lead. Lake Superior attempted to chip away at the lead, but the Huskies were able to respond point for point. A 6-2 run by the Huskies wound up deciding the set and the match, as Michigan Tech claimed set number four 25-16, and the match 3-1.
With 15 points, Reid led the Lakers in scoring, followed by Brooke Williams with 10 points. Madison Castle had 21 assists and Justice Kjolhede put up 22 digs. After being unable to tally any blocks against Northern Michigan, the Lakers had 10 blocks against Michigan Tech, with Elizabeth Ballor responsible for 3.
Following the game, the six senior members of the 2017 volleyball team were honored for their contributions to the volleyball program. Kjolhede, Ballor, Castle, Williams, Marren and Weissend each were presented with flowers and a framed jersey by their coach and teammates.
"They've been a great group of young ladies," said Schmidlin on his senior class. "Being their third coach in four years, they could've decided to just coast thru or to try and make this better. They took the latter route, they've been very accepting of what we're trying to build. They care about the program, their teammates, and I couldn't ask for a better group of women."
Lake Superior State has three more matches to close out the season. Next week, they will face Northwood and Ferris State before their final match of the season against their conference travel partner Saginaw Valley. First serve against Northwood is at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 3rd in Midland, Mich.