Northwest Wayne News

Wayne State University's women's volleyball team secured a 3-1 victory over Michigan Tech on Friday, marking their first win in Houghton since October 1, 2016. The Warriors had previously lost four consecutive matches at the Huskies' SDC Gymnasium.

Head coach Tim Koth commented on the team's performance, stating, "It was a good road win tonight for the Warriors. Tech gave us their best shot and we were able to adjust. We really did a nice job on the service line tonight. Now we have to regroup to play another tough opponent in Northern Michigan."

The match ended with set scores of 25-14, 25-20, 16-25, and 25-16 in favor of Wayne State. The Warriors recorded 15 service aces during the match—their highest total since a contest against New Haven on September 7, 2019. It was also their most aces against a GLIAC opponent since September 17, 2002.

Wayne State finished with a .239 hitting percentage, tallying 50 kills and committing 16 errors across 142 attacks. Michigan Tech matched the kill count but ended with a .217 hitting percentage and one more error over one additional attempt.

Kayla Giroux led Wayne State offensively with 13 kills at a .400 efficiency rate and contributed five blocks defensively. Leigha Baldwin added 11 kills while hitting .364 and two assisted blocks. Kayla Dulgar posted four kills (.571), distributed 33 assists, achieved six aces—a career high—along with one block assist and nine digs.

Abby Macalaguim served four aces and collected a team-high twelve digs alongside Lauren Essenpreis. Kendyl Andrews contributed two aces as well as eleven digs and six assists.

Defensively, Katerina Stout finished with three blocks (one solo), while Paige Giehtbrock added two assisted stops to her nine kills.

Looking ahead, Wayne State will travel to face Northern Michigan University on Saturday at Marquette. The Wildcats started their season at 1-9 but have recently won eight out of their last ten matches, including a five-set win over Grand Valley State.