DEARBORN, Mich. – The Indiana Tech women's volleyball kicked off its weekend road trip Friday evening with a victory at Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) foe University of Michigan-Dearborn, 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-20), inside the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse.
 
Three straight kills from Emma Westra helped put the Warriors ahead 11-9 early in the first set. Tech grew that lead at the midway point, but a 7-0 run from UM-Dearborn put Tech in a 19-16 hole. Both teams found themselves locked at 22-22 as the set wound down, but the Wolverines ultimately came out on top 25-23.
 
A 5-1 run provided the Orange and Black with a five point advantage, 15-10, midway through set number two. They continued to grow that lead as the set evolved, but their hosts would not go away without a fight. Dearborn reclaimed the lead 22-21 before Tech would finish things on a 4-0 run to earn the 25-22 victory.
 
Both teams flip-flopped a share of the lead in the third frame as things would get locked at 12-12 early. A 6-0 streak which featured a pair of kills from Allison Cole propelled Tech ahead 18-12. They allowed just three more points from their opponents en route to a 25-15 dominating set score to go up 2-1 in the match.
 
The Orange and Black gradually grew a 15-10 mid-point advantage that would ultimately sprout into a 20-14 lead after a Jordan Aylward kill in the fourth stanza. Dearborn attempted to threaten, coming within three points, but Tech closed out the set with a 25-20 score to finish with a 3-1 match decision.
 
Olivia Niekamp recorded 13 kills while Madison Park dished out 27 assists. Havilyn Cummings added 10 kills, five blocks and hit .500 while Madeline MacDonald had 22 digs to round out the Warrior's match leaders.
 
Tech (12-4, 4-2 WHAC) returns to action on Saturday as they continue their northern road trip with a stop at Madonna University at 1 p.m. from The Activities Center in Livonia, Michigan.