Volleyball Hosts Two Key MAC Matches
11/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Central Michigan volleyball team will entertain two Mid-American Conference opponents at McGuirk Arena this weekend.
• Northern Illinois (7-20, 6-6 MAC) visits Mount Pleasant on Friday and Western Michigan (14-9, 7-5) comes to town on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
• The Chippewas sit in ninth place overall in the MAC. The top eight teams make the conference tournament. CMU is one game behind Northern Illinois and Toledo, both of whom are 6-6.
LAST WEEKEND
• CMU is 13-11, 5-7 after winning five-set league road matches last weekend against Ball State and Toledo.
• Kalina Smith and Jayla Wesley led the Chippewas to their sweep last weekend.
• Smith, a freshman, logged 36 total kills including a career-high 20 against the Rockets on Saturday.
• Wesley earned MAC West Offensive Player of the Week honors after recording 25 kills. She recorded a .393 attack percentage in the win at Ball State, and a .524 in the victory at Toledo.
CHIPPEWA LEADERS
• CMU senior Jordan Bueter leads the MAC in kills with 354 and kills per set (3.98). She is tied for first in aces with 36.
• Chippewa setter Grace Butler, a freshman, ranks fifth in the MAC with 881 assists.
SCOUTING
• Northern Illinois topped Central Michigan, 3-1, in their last meeting at the Huskies' Convocation Center.
• NIU dropped a three-set decision to Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.
• Kaylee Martin leads NIU with 350 kills, which ranks fourth in the conference.
• Western Michigan claimed a 3-1 victory over Central Michigan earlier this season at University Arena.
• The Broncos have lost their last two matches, both 3-1, to Northern Illinois and to Bowling Green.
• The Broncos average a league-best 13.67 kills per set.
• Rachel Bontrager has 307 kills to lead Western Michigan.
• Western's Mary Murphy leads the conference, averaging 10.75 assists per set. She has totaled 978 assists.
NEXT
• Central Michigan will play its final home match of the regular season when it entertains Eastern Michigan on Thursday, Nov. 9. CMU's regular-season finale is at Ohio on Nov. 11.
