Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Xavier
Chippewas Drop Exciting Affair to Xavier, 3-1.
9/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 20, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT - Fans in attendance at the Central Michigan University volleyball match with Xavier on Tuesday evening were treated to an exciting, back-and-forth affair, but CMU came up short as the Musketeers earned the victory, 3-1 (30-24, 30-28, 27-30, 30-22).
The match had nine lead changes and 15 ties as CMU fell to 3-7 on the year while Xavier improved to 7-5.
The contest was an offensive and defensive affair with the teams combining for 138 kills, a .214 hitting percentage and 167 digs in the four games. The Chippewas tallied 59 kills, its second-highest total this season, and hit .211, their third-best total this year.
Unfortunately for CMU, Xavier bested both those totals with 77 kills and a .216 attacking percentage. XU also brought up 89 digs compared to 79 for CMU, but the Maroon and Gold did win the blocks battle with a season-high 14 while Xavier had six.
Alison Baker led CMU on the night with a season-high 16 kills while tallying a team-high .317 attacking percentage. She also recorded a season-best eight blocks, giving her 20 points on the night.
Sarah Warner recorded the first double-double of her career with 12 kills and a career-high 13 digs. Also recording double-digit kills were Kate Fissel (11) and Mary Ochmanek (10). Ali McCrite led the defense with a season-best 26 digs and Courtney Kersten distributed 50 assists.
Kate Duchek led XU with a season-high 24 kills and a .360 hitting percentage. Jenn Welsh set a new career-high with 22 digs on the match and dished out another career-high 65 assists, while Jordan Brightwell also tallied 22 digs.
CMU jumped out to a fast start as a 5-0 run gave it a 14-8 lead in game one. The two squads traded points until XU went on a 7-0 run to put it up 23-21. The Chippewas battled back within one at 25-24 but the Musketeers closed the game with a 5-0 run.
The Maroon and Gold again got off to a strong start in game two holding a 18-11 lead, but again XU battled back to knot the score at 21. A back and forth battle ensued with Xavier scoring three of the last four points in the game for a 2-0 lead in the match.
CMU made its early lead standup in game three as it took a 20-10 lead and held off the Musketeers late charge. CMU hit a match-high .281 in the game with 15 kills and just four errors.
The fourth and final game saw Xavier take control early and never look back. Holding a 10-7 lead, Xavier went on a 8-4 run. The Musketeers hit .310 with 20 kills in the game to earn the victory.
CMU begins Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Chippewas play at Western Michigan on Friday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. and at Northern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. CDT.
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