Volleyball Drops 3-1 Match To Michigan Tech

OVERVIEW – MICHIGAN TECH

SCORE: Michigan Tech Huskies 3, Northwood Timberwolves 1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-17)

RECORDS: Michigan Tech (11-3, 6-0 GLIAC), Northwood (4-9, 4-2 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Riepma Arena – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood falls to Michigan Tech 3-1 at home Saturday night (October 4).  

INSIDE THE MATCH 

• Northwood had a strong start to the first set, taking a 9-4 lead early on. The Timberwolves held a slim lead through the rest of the set, eventually claiming the opener 25-22. Both teams had big opening sets offensively - Northwood hit .344 (15-4-32) to Michigan Tech's .333 (14-3-33).  
• The Timberwolves had a similar start to the second set, holding an early 8-3 lead. The Huskies responded with a 6-1 of their own to even the score at 9-9. The remainder of the set was neck-and-neck until the Huskies pulled away to win 25-21. The defenses were the story of the second set, as the hitting percentages fell to .077 for Michigan Tech (10-7-39) and .028 for Northwood (9-8-36).
• Michigan Tech kept their momentum rolling into the third set, holding an 8-3 advantage early on. Northwood rallied to even the match at 14-14 and went on to take a slim lead.  Both teams exchanged small runs before the Huskies finished off the set 25-21. Michigan Tech outhit Northwood in the third set, hitting .333 (18-2-48) to Northwood's .227 (14-4-44).
• The Huskies began the fourth set with a commanding 9-2 run. Michigan Tech was able to hold onto a comfortable lead throughout the set to eventually claim the set 25-16 and win the match 3-1. The offensive numbers were in favor of MTU – they hit .412 (17-3-34) while the Timberwolves finished at .118 (8-4-34).

MATCH STATS 

• HITTING: Northwood .178 (46-20-146), Michigan Tech .286 (59-15-154)
• DIGS: Northwood 69 (Mackenzie Kepler – twenty-five), Michigan Tech 71
• BLOCKS: Northwood 7 (Mary Gallagher, Carson Rutherford - three), Michigan Tech 5
• ACES: Northwood 7 (Mackenzie Kepler, Carson Rutherford - two), Michigan Tech 6

TOP NU PERFORMERS 

• Kepler: 12 kills, 25 digs
• Macy Lintz: 37 assists, eight digs
• Carson Rutherford: 10 kills, eight digs
• Lauren Bell: 18 digs

UP NEXT 

• Northwood will host Northern Michigan Saturday afternoon (October 5). Match time is set for 1 p.m.