Friday, October 25
Mount Pleasant, MI
6 p.m.
Central Michigan University
18-3,8-1MAC
3
vs
0
Akron
14-6,7-2MAC
1
2
3
F
Akron
16
18
13
0
Central Mich.
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Chippewas Roll In Showdown Of Division Leaders
10/25/2019 9:51:00 PM | Volleyball
CMU sweeps Akron, stands atop MAC
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Bring out the brooms.
The Central Michigan volleyball team defeated Akron on Friday at McGuirk Arena in a showdown of Mid-American Conference volleyball division leaders.
CMU never trailed in sweeping the match, 25-16, 25-18, 25-13 in improving to 18-3, 8-1 MAC. The Chippewas bounced back from their first MAC loss of the season last weekend at Miami (Ohio), a result that ended CMU's win streak at 12 games.
"I am really proud of this group today," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "We had a tough one a week ago against Miami. We were in a position to defeat Miami last Sunday, and we let it slip through our fingers.
"And you always wonder how a team will bounce back, and I remember in the locker room, I said 'We don't have a lot of experience dealing with a loss, and we're about to find out what kind of result we're going to have.'
The Chippewas had a 2-1 lead in sets in that match at Miami, and then let the RedHawks off the ropes. No chance of that happening on Friday against the Zips, who are 14-6, 7-2.
"When we were up today, we didn't want to feel the same way that we did (against Miami), and we kept our foot on the gas pedal," CMU sophomore setter Kendall Braate said.
Where They Stand
At 8-1 in league play, the Chippewas own the best record in the league. They are three games ahead of Ball State, which is 5-4 in conference matches, in the West Division. Akron and Miami share the lead in the East. Both are 7-2 in league play.
How It Happened
The Chippewas did indeed keep their foot on the gas, leading all the way in all three sets against the Zips.
"We had a good week of practice to prepare for Akron," Gawlik said. "We had a good game plan. Our staff did a great job of putting together a game plan. All phases of the game today we were executing at a high level. Defensively, we dug some really big swings against them and turned those into qualities attacks."
Junior setter Grace Butler agreed.
"I think something that helped was in practice this week, we worked on trying different sets, and getting different people more involved," Butler said. "I thought that showed tonight with our middles opening up other hitters pretty fast."
Said sophomore middle blocker Maddie Whitfield: "I think our blocking game (was great) today. When you get big blocks, it changes the momentum of the game and hypes everyone up. It's hard to bounce back after a big block."
Numbers
The Chippewas finished with a .330 attack percentage, and limited Akron to .097.
Savannah Thompson led the Chippewas with nine kills, while Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez and Whitfield added eight apiece.
Whitfield finished with a .667 attack percentage, Rosario-Martinez finished at .615, and Thompson posted a .320.
Butler had 19 assists and Braate added 14. Megan Kern had a team-high 16 digs for the Chippewas.
Next
CMU will be back at McGuirk Arena on Saturday (5 p.m.) for a MAC match with Buffalo, 7-14, 3-6, which dropped a three-set match at Eastern Michigan on Thursday.
The Central Michigan volleyball team defeated Akron on Friday at McGuirk Arena in a showdown of Mid-American Conference volleyball division leaders.
CMU never trailed in sweeping the match, 25-16, 25-18, 25-13 in improving to 18-3, 8-1 MAC. The Chippewas bounced back from their first MAC loss of the season last weekend at Miami (Ohio), a result that ended CMU's win streak at 12 games.
"I am really proud of this group today," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "We had a tough one a week ago against Miami. We were in a position to defeat Miami last Sunday, and we let it slip through our fingers.
"And you always wonder how a team will bounce back, and I remember in the locker room, I said 'We don't have a lot of experience dealing with a loss, and we're about to find out what kind of result we're going to have.'
The Chippewas had a 2-1 lead in sets in that match at Miami, and then let the RedHawks off the ropes. No chance of that happening on Friday against the Zips, who are 14-6, 7-2.
"When we were up today, we didn't want to feel the same way that we did (against Miami), and we kept our foot on the gas pedal," CMU sophomore setter Kendall Braate said.
Where They Stand
At 8-1 in league play, the Chippewas own the best record in the league. They are three games ahead of Ball State, which is 5-4 in conference matches, in the West Division. Akron and Miami share the lead in the East. Both are 7-2 in league play.
How It Happened
The Chippewas did indeed keep their foot on the gas, leading all the way in all three sets against the Zips.
"We had a good week of practice to prepare for Akron," Gawlik said. "We had a good game plan. Our staff did a great job of putting together a game plan. All phases of the game today we were executing at a high level. Defensively, we dug some really big swings against them and turned those into qualities attacks."
Junior setter Grace Butler agreed.
"I think something that helped was in practice this week, we worked on trying different sets, and getting different people more involved," Butler said. "I thought that showed tonight with our middles opening up other hitters pretty fast."
Said sophomore middle blocker Maddie Whitfield: "I think our blocking game (was great) today. When you get big blocks, it changes the momentum of the game and hypes everyone up. It's hard to bounce back after a big block."
Numbers
The Chippewas finished with a .330 attack percentage, and limited Akron to .097.
Savannah Thompson led the Chippewas with nine kills, while Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez and Whitfield added eight apiece.
Whitfield finished with a .667 attack percentage, Rosario-Martinez finished at .615, and Thompson posted a .320.
Butler had 19 assists and Braate added 14. Megan Kern had a team-high 16 digs for the Chippewas.
Next
CMU will be back at McGuirk Arena on Saturday (5 p.m.) for a MAC match with Buffalo, 7-14, 3-6, which dropped a three-set match at Eastern Michigan on Thursday.
Team Stats
UA
CMU
Kills
32
40
Errors
22
8
Attempts
103
97
Hitting %
.097
.330
Points
37
52
Assists
31
37
Aces
2
4
Blocks
3
8
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
Setter/Opposite
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Libero
/ VolleyballMiddle Blocker
/ VolleyballOutside Hitter
/ VolleyballMiddle Blocker
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