Central Michigan University
Northern Illinois
Volleyball Drops 4-Setter At Northern Illinois
9/30/2017 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Lindsay Gerber, CMUChippewas.com
DEKALB, Ill. - Despite a 16-kill effort by freshman Kalina Smith, the Central Michigan volleyball team dropped a 3-1 Mid-American Conference decision to Northern Illinois on Saturday at the Huskies' Convocation Center.
The Chippewas, who fell to 9-7, 1-3 MAC, are scheduled to travel to Eastern Michigan (10-10, 2-2 MAC) on Thursday (7 p.m.). Northern Illinois improved to 2-16, 1-2 MAC.
Saturday's loss came 24 hours after the Chippewas opened the weekend with a four-set loss at Western Michigan.
"Anytime you go 0-2 on a weekend it's disappointing," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "I thought we had a good opportunity tonight, but we're battling some limitations on our side that forced us to change our lineup a bit. We're disappointed, but we got to keep our focus moving forward."
The Huskies topped CMU 25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 25-17.
Senior Jordan Bueter tallied eight kills for CMU. She also added 10 digs, giving her 1,000 for her career. The South Bend, Ind. native is the 10th in program history to reach the milestone. She ranks third in CMU history with 1,286 career kills.
"Jordan had some limitations offensively," Gawlik said. "So we had to manage her game a little differently tonight, but she means so much to us. There's something missing when she's not on the floor. For a player to have 1,000 digs and kills in a career is awesome, so we're really proud."
Paige Carey added 12 kills on a .320 hitting percentage for the Chippewas, while freshman setter Grace Butler had 55 assists.
Kaylee Martin had a team-high 17 kills for NIU, which finished with a .276 attack percentage to CMU's .190. Northern Illinois had the edge in blocks, 7-2.
"(The team) shared the offensive load," Gawlik said. "In some ways, we executed our game plan and got others involved, but I want us to hit at a higher percentage. I think it takes time to grow and mature."
