MARQUETTE, Mich. – In their 2026 debut, the Tiffin University volleyball team dropped both its matches in Northern Michigan. The Dragons fell in straight sets to St. Cloud State before a hard-fought loss to Winona State in the second match.
GAME ONE: St. Cloud State 3 Tiffin 0
Tiffin jumped out to a quick start, scoring three of the first four points of the match. The run was highlighted by a kill from Katelyn Owens and continued when Brooklyn Schmidt recorded a block at the net, giving the 'Gons a 6-1 advantage and forcing a St. Cloud State timeout. The strong play continued out of the timeout as Morgan Morley connected with Jada Shade for a kill, extending the Dragons' lead to 9-3. St. Cloud State answered with five consecutive points to trim the deficit and force a timeout from TU head coach Cary Clark.
The Huskies continued their rally, taking their first lead of the set at 10-9 before extending the advantage to 19-14 following a point from Abby Wachal. The Dragons battled back and cut the deficit to 22-19, keeping themselves within striking distance I
In a second set that was tightly contested early, St. Cloud State held a slim 9-7 lead through the opening points. The Huskies then found their rhythm offensively, using a strong run to build an 18-11 lead before Hannah Bruskiewicz delivered a kill that helped seal a 25-14 victory in the set.
The 'Gons continued to battle and refused to go away quietly, capitalizing on a St. Cloud State attacking error before Amber Czerniak delivered a kill to keep the pressure on. Despite the late push, the Huskies held on to claim the set by a 25-18 score.
Czerniak's nine kills were a team-best, with Maggie Pavlansky's 13 assists leading the way. Czerniak also led the Dragons defensively, accounting for 11 digs. St. Cloud State swung at an efficient .324 mark in the match and finished with 10 aces.
GAME TWO: Winona State 3 Tiffin 0
In Tiffin's second match of the day, the 'Gons battled in a thrilling 29-27 opening set against the Warriors. As the two teams traded momentum for much of the set, Tiffin led 24-23 before a pair of WSU points saw the Warriors a point away from taking the set. Three consecutive times the Dragons extended the set, scoring with WSU at set point, but a TU service error and a kill by the Warriors saw a 29-27 game go to Winona State.
Leading 16-15 in the second set, Tiffin went on a small run for a four-point advantage. A service error by the Warriors was followed by kills from Symari Scott and Parker Vackert for a late advantage. The rally by Tiffin ignited a 9-1 run by the Warriors, swinging the score to a 24-20 lead. A kill from Vackert and an ace off the hand of Pavlansky briefly halted the run, but WSU ended the set at 25-22 with a solo block.
In the third, Winona State jumped out to an early 6-0 lead until a kill from Shade put the 'Gons on the board. The Warriors fired off an 8-0 run to build a commanding edge, eventually leading 19-6. Tiffin used a run of its own – a 6-0 mark – to trim the deficit to 19-12. A pair of kills from Czerniak highlighted the run that was capped off by an ace from Taylor Kirker. The teams would trade points late in the set before WSU sealed the win at 25-17.
Owens led the 'Gons with nine kills, hitting at a .412 clip. Pavlansky's 17 assists paced Tiffin, with sophomore Kat Akolzin adding 15. Morley led the defense with 15 digs.
Tomorrow, the Dragons will remain up north to wrap up the weekend. At 11:30 a.m., Tiffin will take on (RV) Minnesota Duluth before finishing off against the host Northern Michigan Wildcats at 4:30 p.m.
