Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Open MAC Play at Ball State, Toledo
9/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Cullen Maksimowski, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — It's been a mixed bag of results in the early stages of the season for the Central Michigan volleyball team.
The Chippewas non-conference schedule has featured losses to top-tier programs such as Michigan State and No. 7-ranked Florida, as well as some dominant performances including a 3-0 finish at the Valparaiso Popcorn Festival Tournament two weekends ago.
CMU (6-6) will now get to see how it stacks up against the Mid-American Conference beginning this weekend as it opens league play on the road with a Friday evening game against Ball State (7 p.m.) followed by a Saturday (5 p.m.) matchup with Toledo. Ball State is 4-10 and the Rockets own a 7-5 record.
"We're really excited," said CMU coach Mike Gawlik. "We've used these first four weeks of pre-conference to get ready to make a splash within our conference. I'm happy with where we're at and I'm proud of the progress we've made regardless of our wins and losses."
For Gawlik, who is in his first season at the helm of the program, Friday's match with BSU will be his first taste of coaching in the MAC. He said he plans to draw on the experience of his players and coaching staff when preparing for league competition. Adam Rollman is in his second year as an assistant on the CMU staff, while first-year aide Krista Rice was an assistant at Toledo over the past two seasons and played at Kent State.
"I think we're definitely going to rely on our upperclassman that have been around for a couple of years, to really mentor the younger kids," he said. "We're also going to rely on our coaches that have been around this conference for a couple of years to really get us into a rhythm and prepare us to play."
Ball State topped the Chippewas in five sets in the regular-season finale last season, eliminating CMU from MAC Tournament contention.
"I think any time you've got that extra motivation, it can only help you," Gawlik said. "It's a brand new year and they're a different team, we're a different team. We don't want to carry over old things but at the same time if you can get an extra boost, it would be silly not to use it.
The Chippewas rank second in the MAC with a .231 hitting percentage and are fifth in kills per set at 12.68.
Junior middle blocker Paige Carey, who was named to the all-tournament team in last weekend's Holiday Inn Orlando East/UCF Challenge last weekend, leads CMU and is fifth in the conference in hitting percentage with a .356 clip.
Junior outside hitter Jordan Bueter leads the MAC in aces with 21.
The Chippewas will play their home opener the following weekend when they entertain Northern Illinois (Sept. 30) and Western Michigan (Oct. 2) in MAC matches.
