Central Michigan University
Evansville
Chippewas Earn First Volleyball Win
9/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Kaitlyn McIntyre had 14 kills, Angelique White added 13, and setter Dani Thompson finished with 45 assists Friday as the Central Michigan volleyball team posted its first victory of the season, defeating Evansville, 3-1, in their opening match of the Evansville Invitational.
"It's nice finally coming out on top tonight," CMU coach Erik Olson said. "It's something I knew this team could do from the start. We're getting better each match and that's the most important thing."
The Chippewas (1-6) are scheduled to play Indiana-Purdue-Indianapolis (3-6) on Saturday at 11 a.m. and will conclude the tournament against DePaul (2-5) at 5 p.m. The Jaguars defeated DePaul, 3-0, earlier on Friday.
The Chippewas took the first two sets against Evansville, 25-18, 25-19, and closed it out in the fourth, 25-21. The Purple Aces (2-7) took the third set, 25-21.
"We played clean," Olson said. "We've been stressing it all week in practice, just passing the ball with greater focus on contact, which cuts down on errors."
Kristen Reenders led the Chippewas with 19 digs, while McIntyre finished with 11.
Freshman Jordan Bueter added nine kills for CMU, which attacked at .248. In their last three matches, the Chippewas have attacked at .248 or better, a marked improvement after they finished at .177 or below in their first four matches this season.
White, who posted team highs in block solos (three) and block assists (seven), attacked at .478 on the night.
"Angie got herself available tonight and she was very physical in this match," Olson said. "She did a good job of cutting the ball back to both sides of the court. I think she was a little out of sync with Thompson, or she could have actually been better. But she was still really threatening the other team. I was really impressed with her play on the attack and in her blocking."
Olson, and the Chippewas, are hoping to build on the momentum gained from Friday's victory as they face the Jaguars and Blue Demons on Saturday.
"Each team is different," Olson said. "IUPUI is much stronger than we are and they're very efficient. With that said, if we come with the same physicality as we did (Friday) then I will be very pleased.
"I think we'll see a good result. As for DePaul, I think our offense needs to manage our side of the ball. We have to control Saige Gallop (11 kills vs. IUPUI). She gets a lot of attempts and leads them in kills. To sum it up, we have to play clean in the first match and stop Gallop in the second."
