Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Prep for Stretch Run
10/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Live Stats | Live Video | Dig Pink
MOUNT PLEASANT -- After opening the season playing 16 of 18 on the road, the Central Michigan volleyball team will get to enjoy its first true home stand down the stretch, starting this weekend.
The Chippewas will play six of their final nine regular season matches in Rose Center, hosting Buffalo (Friday) and Akron (Saturday) in a pair of 7 p.m. showdowns this weekend.
"We've had a long season on the road so far, and while having a home stand to close out the season is nice it doesn't change who we play," head coach Erik Olson said. "We need to stay focused on the next task and the next opponent if we're going to be successful. We have a phenomenal environment in Rose Center, but we need to play our game to win."
CMU split its pair of Mid-American Conference matches last weekend and sits in third in the West Division, a game behind Northern Illinois and two behind Western Michigan.
The Maroon and Gold are 11-2 all-time against Buffalo and 13-11 all-time against Akron. The Chippewas are a combined 6-0 against the two programs since 2006.
Each match is proving to be critical this season, with six teams separated by less than two games in the overall league standings.
"The standings are tight, but that doesn't change our mindset," Olson said. "We must compete hard for every match and this team knows that."
The Bulls (13-8, 4-4 MAC) are coming off a big win over West Division leader Western Michigan last weekend and sit in a tie for third in the East Division.
UB boasts the no. 8 offense (.203), the no. 2 defense (.182) and the no. 5 servers (1.26 aces) in the league.
Kelsey Lueders (.298 hitting pct., No. 7 in MAC) and Dani Silvers (3.50 kills, No. in 8 MAC) pace the Bulls' offense. UB's Lindsey Schlegel also leads the MAC in aces (0.48).
Defensively, Kristin Bignell ranks second among league members in blocks (1.14) and Tori Beckman ranks fourth in digs (4.25).
"Buffalo is an improved team from a year ago," Olson said. "They have better ball control this year and have improved their attack and block. They picked up a huge win last week and it should be a very exciting match."
Akron (10-12, 2-6 MAC) also scored a five-set upset of the Broncos last weekend to snap a five-match losing skid. The Zips' offense ranks 10th in the league (.194) and their defense sits at No. 9 (.217). UA's servers average 1.30 aces (No. 4).
Brionna Patterson's 4.08 kills (No. 3 in MAC) lead the Zips' offense and Akron's top server Liz Martin sits ninth in the league in aces (0.31).
"Akron is starting to come into its own late in the season," Olson said. "They're still figuring out who they are, but they've played teams very tough all season long."
The Chippewas rank ninth offensively (.202) and third defensively (.188) among league members and pace the MAC in aces (1.84).
"Our offense has started to settle down the last week or so," Olson said. "We focused on getting our middle attack going last week after getting away from it a bit, but now we're getting back to it being the force we're used to. Now we just need to work toward even distribution of the ball and utilizing our strengths."
Lauren Krupsky leads the Chippewas in kills (3.64, No. 6 in MAC) and aces (0.40, No. 2 in MAC). Lindsey Dulude (0.33, No. 4), Stephanie Budde (0.33, No. 5) and Kaitlyn Hurt (0.32, No. 8) also rank among the MAC's leaders in aces. Alexis Lonneman ranks third in the MAC in digs and paces the CMU defense at 4.58.
"We will need to serve tough, control the ball and keep our offense efficient and have an idea of what we want to do with the ball if we're going to be successful this weekend," Olson said.
Saturday's game against Akron will also serve as the "Dig Pink" game for the Chippewas. In an effort to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer, CMU will give free admission to the match to anyone wearing pink.
Live stats will be available for both matches on cmuchippewas.com, and live video will be available for CMU Sports Zone subscribers.
