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HOUGHTON -- Her first season at the helm of the Michigan Tech Huskies volleyball team did not go exactly as planned for head coach Cindy Pindral. The Huskies finished 12-16, including two five-set losses to Northern Michigan and a tough three-set loss to Wayne State in the GLIAC quarterfinals to end the season.
Pindral said she learned just about as much from the players as they learned from her.
“I think there were a lot of things that I didn't know that I know now,” said Pindral, who previously served as an assistant coach with the Huskies from 2016-22. “Just kind of coming into a team where I didn't quite know the team dynamics super well, didn't quite know some of the interpersonal, behind-the-scenes things that were going on. So, there was a huge learning curve for me in terms of where the culture was, what are some of the things that needed to be developed, what were some of the things off the court that needed to be put in place, or redefined, or whatever.”
Heading into her second season, Pindral feels more prepared.
“We did a lot of work in the spring in terms of organizing ourselves, learning about our roles, and how each of us can contribute to certain roles, and the timing of the roles,” she said. “We're doing a lot of player development, lots of team meetings on learning styles, and all the different things. We're trying to learn each other better, and we're in a really good spot right now in doing so.”
Pindral mentioned that one of the things the team is learning is how to improve their social media presence, but that is just one small part of teambuilding. They are also focusing on everything from how they want to attack to how they want to defend, all those aspects of volleyball that can make them successful.
A pair of players who shone through as the season went along were the two “local” players in Madelynn Kreider, from Kingsford, and Madelyn Torola, from Calumet. As freshmen, both earned critical roles as the season moved along.
“We were both very pleasantly surprised by the immediate impact that both Maddies were able to have on the team last year,” Pindral said. “They have been very integral in establishing our culture. They're fiery competitors. They want to win, but they want to do it in the right way.”
Pindral loves how both players fit in right away. She pointed first to Kreider, a setter.
“It was so seamless with those two in particular,” said Pindral. “Maddie Kreider is just a next-level setter. She is so good, and she refuses to lose. She's truly the heartbeat of our team, and it's really awesome to see her thrive.
“If you can believe it, she's even gotten better over the summer. I'm really looking forward to everyone being able to see how much she's developed even from last year to this year.”
Torola is working this season on enlarging her role.
“Maddie Torola has really taken full ownership of her development,” Pindral said. “We worked a ton in the Spring on six rotations with her. Instead of just being kind of a one dimensional front row player, she took it upon herself to become a quality passer, and play good defense. She's really making herself a viable option for playing six rotations.
“Her serve has improved and that's all her. We're giving feedback, and we're constructing drills, but we saw her in the gym by herself, or with one other person, all the time, all Spring, just getting extra reps. So she has completely taken it on herself to take her game to the next level.”
The Huskies will open the season at home with Minnesota-Duluth on Thursday as part of the UP North Tournament. They will follow that up with three matches in Marquette against St. Cloud State, Cal State-East Bay, and Winona State. Then they will head to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, for the Mountain Lion Classic, where they will play the hosts, St. Edward’s, South Dakota Mines, and Midwestern State.
For Pindral, a return to UCCS, where she played her collegiate volleyball, will be special.
“That's where I played, and I'm good friends with their coach,” she said. “As an alumni of UCCS, I'm really excited, because they have been very successful. They were in the NCAA Tournament last year. They were just voted in the preseason poll to finish number one in the RMC (Rocky Mountain Conference).”
Michigan Tech is the seventh pick in the GLIAC volleyball preseason poll the conference announced Monday.
In the 2026 Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Huskies are behind Ferris State, Grand Valley State, Wayne State, Northern Michigan, Parkside, and Davenport. Purdue Northwest, Saginaw Valley State, Lake Superior State, and Roosevelt round out the poll.
The Huskies return 10 student-athletes from 2025.
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The Daily News contributed. For more on Michigan Tech volleyball, go to https://www.mininggazette.com/sports/local-sports/2026/08/pindral-has-good-feeling-about-second-second-at-helm-of-huskies-volleyball/.