HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech’s volleyball team is the third pick in the GLIAC Volleyball Preseason Poll, which the conference announced Wednesday (Aug. 22). The Huskies are behind Ferris State and Grand Valley State, both of which received the top votes.

Michigan Tech’s 2024 volleyball season begins Sept. 6, when the Huskies travel west to Colorado Mines for a four-game weekend. The Huskies return four All-GLIAC honorees from last season, when they reached the GLIAC semifinals for the seventh consecutive year.

In the 2024 preseason coaches poll, the Bulldogs had 97 points, including seven first-place finishes. The Lakers were close behind with 94 points and four first-place finishes. The Huskies had 79 points, followed by Parkside (71), Northern Michigan (67), Wayne State (48), Davenport (46) and Purdue Northwest (44) in the top eight. Lake Superior State (27), Saginaw Valley State (18) and Roosevelt (14) rounded out the poll.

The technology will rely on veterans Kaycee Meiners And Meg Raabe and second-year students Tess Hayes And Amelia Albers. Meiners is a fifth-year freshman and was named to the All-GLIAC First Team last season after leading the conference in blocks per set (1.42) and finishing fifth in hitting percentage (.334). Raabe earned second-team honors after playing six rotations as a sophomore and averaging 3.43 kills per set. Hayes was GLIAC Freshman of the Year and finished second in the conference in assists (9.71 a/s), while Albers anchored the back row with 3.44 digs per set in her freshman season. Rachel Zurek was honored by GLIAC for the middle blocker position and appeared in all 31 games as a freshman. The roster includes 14 returnees and five newcomers, including two transfers. Setter Avery Brown comes to Houghton from NCAA Division I Akron and Abby Perkins will play a fifth year of college volleyball after being named an All-Conference outside hitter twice at Aquinas College.

The Huskies will play 28 games this fall, including 17 GLIAC contests and 12 games at SDC Gym. Tech hosts the UP North Tournament on Sept. 13 and 14 and plays Minnesota Duluth, Findlay and St. Cloud State before GLIAC play begins. Eight of Tech’s opponents were in the NCAA Tournament last season and seven were ranked in the AVCA Top 25.

GLIAC Volleyball Coaches Survey Pre-2024 Season