Box Score Worth the wait.
A raucous crowd at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium enjoyed a tremendous UP rivalry match between host Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech. The Lakers (0-9, 0-5 GLAIC) played their first home match of the season after eight straight on the road, but the Huskies (6-6, 3-2 GLIAC) took a thriller in straight sets, 25-13, 25-17, 25-18.
With a crowd buzzing in anticipation of the home opener, the Lakers dug in and played with the tenacity and drive they displayed at Matches on the Mack against Michigan.
Elisa Rizzoli and
Valeriya Varnakova headlined their versatile attack. Rizzoli scored nine kills on 20 hits, while Varnakova excelled, tallying six kills and adding five digs.
Senior setter
Vanessa Swerdon starred with 12 assists, five digs and a service ace. She continued her excellent run of play from the first month of the regular season.
LSSU snatched an early lead in the opening set, powered by a pair of kills by Rizzoli. While the two teams battled for a bit, the Huskies broke away in the middle stages of the set to secure a commanding lead.
The second set opened with a long Huskies run, as they took a 12-5 lead on a stretch where they won nine of ten serves. A timeout steadied the Lakers, and they played a level set from that point forward. Varnakova scored two emphatic kills for LSSU, one in the middle of the Huskies run and another to break it. Her energy provided the Lakers with a tremendous spark on several occasions throughout the match.
Set three volleyed back and forth, with neither team taking more than a three-point lead until late.
Caitlyn Matelski scored a service ace and
Shea Berisoff hammered a strike for a kill in an early five-point Laker run, as they wrestled into a 7-5 lead. Varnakova and Rizzoli both scored kills, and the Lakers knotted the score at 13. While Rizzoli added another, the Huskies earned a slim lead and used that to stay ahead to the finish.
An excellent crowd attended the match at Bud Cooper Gymnasium, the first time the Lakers competed at home in the 2025 campaign. They'll return on Saturday for a 4:00 PM match against fellow UP rival Northern Michigan. Fans get in free to see the match.
