CMU Volleyball Looks To Close In On MAC West Top Spot

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan volleyball team will play a pair of home Mid-American Conference games at McGuirk Arena this weekend.

The first game is set for Thursday, Oct. 31 (6 p.m.) against rival Western Michigan. The second game is on Saturday, Nov. 2, against Northern Illinois (5:30 p.m.).

CMU defeated both NIU and WMU earlier in the season on the road.

Where They Stand
CMU is 18-4, 8-2 MAC. Last weekend, the Chippewas defeated Akron in straight sets before falling in five to Buffalo.

The Chippewas lead the MAC West by three games over Ball State and NIU, both of which are 5-5 in league play. CMU is also tied for first place overall with Akron and Miami (Ohio), who share the East Division lead at 8-2.

Know the Foe
Western is 12-10, 3-7. The Broncos defeated Ohio and then lost to Kent State last weekend. Western opened league play with victories in two of its first three matches, before dropping six of its last seven.

NIU, 8-16 overall, posted victories over Ohio and Kent State last weekend. The Huskies had lost three straight matches prior to last weekend's back-to-back victories.

Down the Stretch
At this point in the 2018 season, the Chippewas were 1-9 and looking to improve and finish in the top eight in the conference in order to claim a MAC Tournament berth.

At 8-2, the Chippewas are in position to not only be competitive in the MAC, but win the West Division along with the league regular-season championship.

"We have six matches to go down the stretch, and they're important for everybody," coach Mike Gawlik said. "They're important for different reasons, whether if it's for a rivalry match, or the opponent is a team looking for a higher seed in the tournament.

"I think the team that keeps their composure and plays the game one point at a time, they're going to be the team that finds success in all MAC matches.

"Expectations are higher heading into week six (of MAC play) than they were in week one. That's not necessarily from us, but from other people. We've put ourselves (on other teams' radars) and have shown them what we're all about. All of these games are important, it's just taking it one point at a time."

Next
CMU's home finale is scheduled for Thursday Nov. 7 (6 p.m.) against Eastern Michigan. The Chippewas will play their final three regular-season games on the road, starting at Ohio on Saturday Nov. 9 (6 p.m.). They close the regular season the following weekend with games at Toledo and then at Ball State.

Next Event

Related Videos