Thursday, October 31
Mount Pleasant, MI
6 p.m.
Central Michigan University
19-4,9-2MAC
3
vs
1
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Western Michigan
12-11,3-8MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Western Mich.
25
14
19
22
1
Central Mich.
22
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Chippewas Steam Past Western
10/31/2019 9:58:00 PM | Volleyball
CMU post season-best attack percentage in strengthening grip on first place in MAC West
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan volleyball team rebounded after dropping the first set on Thursday to claim a four-set Mid-American Conference victory over rival Western Michigan at McGuirk Arena.
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The Chippewas completed the season sweep of the Broncos with a 22-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-22 victory, improving to 19-4, 9-2 MAC. Western is 12-11, 3-8.
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The Chippewas hold a three-game lead in the MAC West over second-place Ball State with five matches to play.
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"Anytime you can beat a rival, beat somebody on your side (of the Mid-American Conference standings) and somebody in the final six matches or the second half of MAC play, it's going to be a good win," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said.
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How It Happened
Western Michigan posted a .500 attack percentage in the first set, but the Chippewa defense responded, holding the Broncos to a .125 percentage over the final three.
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CMU hit at a season-high .351 on the night with just 14 attack errors, and finished with 60 kills. The 14 errors are a season low for CMU in a four-set match, and its 60 kills is its second-best total for a four-setter.
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The Chippewas never trailed in the final three sets, and they finished with eight aces, matching their third highest total of the season.
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"I was really pleased with our offensive effort from start to finish," Gawlik said. "Offensively, we're doing a lot of good things, limiting our errors and we're hitting at a high kill rate.
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"But I really liked that we were able to lock down defensively, especially in sets two and three. I was pretty pleased with our athletes tonight."
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Leaders
Kalina Smith led CMU with 19 kills on a season-best .351 attacking percentage, while freshman Anna Erickson hit at a team-best .500 and finished with 10 kills. Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez added nine kills on a .438. attacking percentage.
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Erickson's attack percentage equaled her career high, and her 10 kills were one shy of her career best.
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Grace Butler posted 26 assists for the Chippewas, while Megan Kern finished with 18 digs.
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"It's not really hard to play well when you have a good team surrounding you," Smith said. "Volleyball isn't a one-person sport; you have to have all six girls on the court doing their job in order for the team to be successful.
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"If you have one weak link, other teams will target that and pick you apart. Our service was really good tonight, and our setters put us in a position to where we could attack the ball."
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Next
The Chippewas will entertain Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 2 (5:30 p.m.). The Huskies (5-5 MAC) are scheduled to play at Eastern Michigan on Friday.
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Fans presenting a ticket stub from Saturday's CMU-NIU football game will be admitted for free to the volleyball game. The Chippewa and Huskie football teams are set to kick off at noon.
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The Chippewas completed the season sweep of the Broncos with a 22-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-22 victory, improving to 19-4, 9-2 MAC. Western is 12-11, 3-8.
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The Chippewas hold a three-game lead in the MAC West over second-place Ball State with five matches to play.
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"Anytime you can beat a rival, beat somebody on your side (of the Mid-American Conference standings) and somebody in the final six matches or the second half of MAC play, it's going to be a good win," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said.
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How It Happened
Western Michigan posted a .500 attack percentage in the first set, but the Chippewa defense responded, holding the Broncos to a .125 percentage over the final three.
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CMU hit at a season-high .351 on the night with just 14 attack errors, and finished with 60 kills. The 14 errors are a season low for CMU in a four-set match, and its 60 kills is its second-best total for a four-setter.
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The Chippewas never trailed in the final three sets, and they finished with eight aces, matching their third highest total of the season.
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"I was really pleased with our offensive effort from start to finish," Gawlik said. "Offensively, we're doing a lot of good things, limiting our errors and we're hitting at a high kill rate.
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"But I really liked that we were able to lock down defensively, especially in sets two and three. I was pretty pleased with our athletes tonight."
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Leaders
Kalina Smith led CMU with 19 kills on a season-best .351 attacking percentage, while freshman Anna Erickson hit at a team-best .500 and finished with 10 kills. Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez added nine kills on a .438. attacking percentage.
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Erickson's attack percentage equaled her career high, and her 10 kills were one shy of her career best.
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Grace Butler posted 26 assists for the Chippewas, while Megan Kern finished with 18 digs.
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"It's not really hard to play well when you have a good team surrounding you," Smith said. "Volleyball isn't a one-person sport; you have to have all six girls on the court doing their job in order for the team to be successful.
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"If you have one weak link, other teams will target that and pick you apart. Our service was really good tonight, and our setters put us in a position to where we could attack the ball."
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Next
The Chippewas will entertain Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 2 (5:30 p.m.). The Huskies (5-5 MAC) are scheduled to play at Eastern Michigan on Friday.
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Fans presenting a ticket stub from Saturday's CMU-NIU football game will be admitted for free to the volleyball game. The Chippewa and Huskie football teams are set to kick off at noon.
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Team Stats
WMU
CMU
Kills
51
60
Errors
21
14
Attempts
142
131
Hitting %
.211
.351
Points
59
74
Assists
49
57
Aces
3
8
Blocks
5
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
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