Central Michigan University
Northern Illinois
Chippewas Fall in 3 to Northern Illinois
10/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Cullen Maksimowski, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — The Central Michigan volleyball team could not find an answer for Northern Illinois Saturday, falling 3-0 at McGuirk Arena.
The MAC West-leading Huskies proved to be too much for the Chippewas, sweeping three sets, 25-21, 25-21, 25-13.
"It was a tough one tonight, I felt like we did a pretty good job in sets one and two of serving and siding out, we just couldn't stop their offense," assistant coach Adam Rollman said. "Credit NIU, they run an extremely fast offense, for sure the fastest in the MAC and maybe one of the fastest in the country. It's tough to make that transition."
The Chippewas went head to head with NIU outside hitter T'ara Austin, who leads the MAC in kills per set. Austin led the Huskies with 15 kills.
"She is a really athletic player," CMU defensive specialist Haley Barker said. "She might not have the strongest arm, but she can make things happen and she is kind of unpredictable that way, so that was hard to defend."
CMU finished the night with seven aces. NIU posted two. The Huskies outhit the Chippewas with a .480 attack percentage compared to .295.
Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Robertson led CMU on the attack, registering 13 kills and .545 hitting percentage. Jamison Wolffis had a team-high nine digs.
The Chippewas slip to 10-15 overall, 5-7 in the Mid-American Conference. NIU, which has won the last 10 meetings with CMU, is 14-10, 10-2.
Senior middle blocker Kalle Mulford, who finished with nine kills, expressed that what makes Northern Illinois so tough to beat is their coach, Ray Gooden.
"We really respect Ray as a coach, he always does a really good job with the players he has, we credit them, they work as hard as they can just like we do, they are just a good team," she said.
Mulford was one of three CMU seniors that were honored before the game. Defensive specialist Haley Barker and middle blocker Angie White were also recognized.
CMU will play its final home game of the season against Eastern Michigan on Thursday.
"Going into the last two weeks, we are excited were focused," Rollman said of his teams approach down the stretch. "We are just going keep building and qualify for the MAC Tournament. That's our plan and we want to be at our best."
