Central Michigan University
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Western Michigan
Seniors Moment: Chippewas Run Win Streak To 5
11/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Lindsay Gerber, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - McGuirk Arena was loud on Senior Night as the Central Michigan volleyball team topped Western Michigan, 3-0, in a Mid-American Conference match on Saturday.
The Chippewas ran their season-high win streak to five in improving to 14-11, 7-7 MAC. The Broncos are 14-11, 7-7. CMU will entertain Eastern Michigan in its final home match on Thursday (7 p.m.) and then will close the regular season at Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 11.
CMU's Jordan Bueter, Paige Carey, Taylor Robertson and Courtney Hiltibran were the seniors recognized minutes after CMU defeated WMU, 25-19, 25-23, 25-22, in front of a season-high crowd of 668.
"The crowd was so exhilarating," said Bueter, who finished with a game-high 15 kills on a .297 attack percentage. "You can hear the pounding and the people screaming and it's rushing through you the entire time."
Bueter also led the Chippewas in digs with 14. Carey and Kalina Smith added seven kills apiece. Smith also had a game-high four aces, while setter Grace Butler recorded 33 assists.
The Chippewas opened the weekend with a 3-1 win at home over Northern Illinois. Saturday's win gave CMU its second consecutive MAC weekend sweep.
"We're in another world than we were at the beginning of the season," Hiltibran said. "Everyone's hungry going into each match and it's a good feeling."
Sydney Lemay and Quiana Ware had 11 kills apiece to lead the Broncos.
Central Michigan finished with a .198 hitting percentage and five team blocks.
"As a team, you struggle with things on and off the court," Bueter said in explaining the Chippewas' late-season surge. "We've had some moments where we realized we had to be each other's biggest fans. We have to do great things on and off the court.
"At the beginning of the year, we looked at each other and asked what we had to lose. It was our fourth year, let's do it. Our great leadership has helped us bring it all back to the court."
The Chippewas head into their final two league games in a three-way tie for sixth place in the MAC with Western Michigan and Toledo. The top eight teams make the league tournament.
