Central Michigan University Athletics
Offense Explodes as Chippewas Sweep Rockets
9/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Kaitlyn Schultz and Kate Fissel each finished with 13 kills and Lauren Krupsky added 11 as the Central Michigan volleyball team swept the Toledo Rockets, 3-0 (28-26, 25-22, 25-17) to earn its second straight Mid-American Conference win on Saturday.
“Kate and Lauren really got it going today,” head coach Erik Olson said. “Both were extremely successful and worked the entire court.”
Krupsky, who had struggled early on in the season, has turned a corner over her last three matches, averaging 3.00 kills per set.
“Each match she’s gained confidence,” Olson said. “Last night she gradually picked it up and tonight she just exploded. She was just crushing the ball.”
The Chippewas have built a diverse attack, with several players capable of taking over a match at any point. CMU hit .364 against the Rockets, with four players hitting above .300. Seniors Whitney Evers and Sarah Warner each added five kills vs. UT. Evers added four of CMU’s eight aces as well to move into fourth all-time in CMU history with 118, passing Shannon Voss (1983-86) and Jennifer Dick (1992-95).
“I think we have five great hitters, we just haven’t had everyone playing well at the same time,” Olson said. “Now we’re starting to pick it up, and we’re continuing to get better with each match. Having a balanced attack is what makes us dangerous and we’re playing great team volleyball right now.”
The Chippewas also played great team defense, registering 10 blocks in the sweep and holding the Rockets to a .193 hitting percentage.
“Lisa Johnson, Erika Neumann and Alexis Lonneman were all great tonight,” Olson said. “I’m extremely excited about the performance of our defensive specialists of late. They’re playing smarter and better than they have all season.”
Lonneman put together a season-high 19 digs in a three-set match, while Neumann dug out 11 attempts. Warner and Schultz each posted four blocks, while Evers and Fissel stuffed three attempts each.
Junior Stephanie Budde posted 41 assists on CMU’s 48 kills.
“This week has been about getting each group going, and tonight was sort of a culmination of that,” Olson said. “We’re on track and now we can get focused on getting better.”
CMU (8-6, 2-0 MAC) has now won back-to-back matches to open MAC play for the second straight year. Central opened last year’s MAC slate at 3-0.
The Chippewas return to Mount Pleasant to face Northern Illinois and Western Michigan this weekend at Rose Arena.
