Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Look To Ride Momentum To Sunshine State
9/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Cullen Maksimowski, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Momentum shifts quickly in the sport of volleyball. From point-to-point, from set-to-set and from game-to-game, teams can heat up and cool down in a hurry. And the Central Michigan volleyball team is heating up.
After a tough 1-4 start to the season, with losses to top-tier programs such as Michigan State and No. 7-ranked Florida, the Chippewas, 5-4, have rattled off four-straight wins, including a three-game sweep at last weekend's Valparaiso Popcorn Festival Tournament.
"I think anytime you can start to string wins together it shows that you're playing some consistent volleyball," said first-year coach Mike Gawlik. "As a team that's in a new era, I think it's always great to get some momentum."
CMU will look to keep that momentum this weekend as it travels to south for the Holiday Inn Orlando East/UCF Challenge at the University of Central Florida.
On Friday, Central Michigan will play Central Arkansas at 10 a.m. and UNC Asheville at 5:30 p.m. The Chippewas play host UCF at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
"I think going into this weekend's tournament we have an opportunity to kind of springboard ourselves into (Mid-American Conference) play and I think our team has big goals," Gawlik said.
In their last four games, the Chippewas have been much more efficient on the attack, finishing above the .300 mark in hitting in each match.
"I think we're managing our errors a lot better," said Gawlik. "When we make team have to earn 20-plus points against us with giving them to many freebies, we're finding that were a tough team to beat."
Through nine games, CMU ranks second in the MAC in hitting percentage (.238) and kills per set (13.8). The Chippewas rank fourth in the conference in assists at 12.7 per.
Senior setter Kathia Sanchez has been a key piece in the turnaround. She totaled 133 assists last weekend in earning tournament co-Most Valuable Player honors.
"She just kind of directed traffic out there and led us to a real high hitting percentage on the weekend," Gawlik said. "She is a real top-end setter in the conference, she's got physicality, she's tall, jumps well and can be real offensive as a setter.
"She also brings us leadership as a senior. Her ability to play in a lot of matches with poise and confidence is something that we lean on."
Gawlik also credited the play of middle blockers Paige Carey and Jayla Wesley for CMU's improved attack.
"We've been getting our middles much more involved lately," he said. "You look at the last three matches, Paige and Jayla are hitting over.500 and in terms of attack percentage, it's kind of like a baseball batting average: If you're hitting over .300, you're typically feeling pretty good about where you're at."
Carey ranks seventh in the league with a .346 hitting percentage. Wesley is 10th at .330.
After this weekend the Chippewas will open MAC competition on the road with back-to-back matches against Ball State and Toledo on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23-24. CMU's home opener is Sept. 30 against Northern Illinois.
