Central Michigan University
Cincinnati
Chippewas Win Cincinnati Invitational
9/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Central Michigan volleyball team completed its sweep in the Cincinnati Invitational on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the host Bearcats.
CMU (5-7) defeated Charleston Southern, 3-0, and Tennessee State, 3-1, on Friday. The Chippewas have won four straight and five of their last six.
"We played very clean volleyball this weekend," coach Erik Olson said. "I'm proud of the team's willingness to keep getting better. The best part is we still have things to improve that can make us even better. We're going to keep tweaking different areas of our game so that we can be playing our best volleyball."
The Chippewas claimed the first two sets over Cincinnati, 25-21, 25-22. After dropping the third set, 25-23, CMU rolled to a comfortable 25-15 win in the fourth.
"It was a solid win over a big-name school," Olson said. "On paper, it was our biggest win this weekend with (Cincinnati) being ranked 38th in the country. But we played so well that the outcome was hardly ever in doubt."
Senior outside hitter Kaitlyn McIntyre led the Chippewas in kills with 13 and an attack percentage of .281 for the match. She finished the tournament with 43 kills, 32 digs and 3 1/2 blocks, earning the tourney Most Valuable Player Award.
"McIntyre had a phenomenal match (on Saturday)," Olson said. "She was actually phenomenal all weekend for us. She deserves all of the success she's getting with all of the work she puts in. I'm really happy for her and the team for coming out this weekend and taking care of business."
Two Chippewa freshmen, setter Kylie Copple and outside hitter Taylor Robertson, were named to the all-tournament team.
Copple tallied 31 assists and three digs against the Bearcats. She recorded 107 assists in CMU's three matches on the weekend.
"She continues to mature as she gets more matches under her belt," Olson said. "She had a great connection with our hitters this weekend."
In the week of practice leading up to the Cincinnati Invitational, Olson said he challenged Robertson to have a breakout performance. Robertson stepped up with 24 kills and 4 ½.
"Robertson played big in the first two matches (Friday)," Olson said. "She wasn't able to get her stats against Cincinnati because we didn't go to her enough. Still, she stepped up, and that's a direct correlation to the hard work she put in during practice last week."
Next up for the CMU will be the start of Mid-American Conference play when they entertain Eastern Michigan on Thursday, Sept. 25. On Saturday, Sept. 27, CMU plays host to Ohio in a league match.
"We're improving day-by-day and building momentum going into our conference matches," Olson said. "We have to keep doing that, getting better and playing with an every-point-is-our-last type attitude. Complacency is our enemy, and it's my job to make sure we come out aggressive. The rest will take care of itself."
