Saturday, November 23
Bowling Green, OH
7:00 p.m.
Central Michigan University
21-8,11-5MAC
1
vs
3
Bowling Green
19-11,11-5MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Bowling Green
25
25
22
25
3
Central Mich.
14
22
25
22
1
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Chippewas Fall In MAC Tourney Semifinal
11/23/2019 11:08:00 PM | Volleyball
Outstanding season comes to an end with loss to Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – There were some milestones and some big-time steps for the Central Michigan volleyball team in the 2019 season.
Among them, its first Mid-American Conference West Division championship in 16 years and just the second 20-win season since the mid 1980s.
But the big one, the one the Chippewas most coveted, will have to wait for at least a year.
Bowling Green ended the Chippewas' remarkable season on Saturday with a 25-14, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22 victory in a MAC Tournament semifinal at the Falcons' Stroh Center.
The Chippewas, who were seeded No. 2 in the tournament, finished 21-8 in a year that saw the program make extraordinary tangible gains under fourth-year coach Mike Gawlik.
"To be on the journey to where we want to go is going to take a little bit of time," Gawlik said. "We took a few steps forward this year for sure.
"Talking to the team in the locker room, I feel like that when we take a step back and the sting of losing tonight in a couple of close sets wears off, we're going to be really proud of our body of work."
How It Happened
The third-seeded Falcons (19-11) used a 6-0 run to seize a 13-7 lead in the first set, and the Chippewas never got closer than four points for the remainder of the set.
The final three sets were closely contested with the teams exchanging the lead with neither able to gain a strong foothold. But the Falcons were able to come up with the big block and the key kill when they most needed it.
"Composure down the stretch in some big matches is something that we're going to learn, and you can only learn those things by being in those moments," Gawlik said. "I thought outside of set one tonight, we were right in it, we were right in that fight. That takes some time.
"I think we'll be better the next time that we're in that moment. The only way that you can get reps under that pressure and those expectations is by putting yourself in that situation. I'm proud of our ability to put ourselves in that position and we can start that learning curve."
Leaders
Kalina Smith led the Chippewas with 11 kills, while Anna Erickson and Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez had nine each. CMU setters Kendall Braate and Grace Butler combined for 39 assists.
Libero Megan Kern, the lone Chippewa senior to play in Saturday's match, had four aces and 30 digs.
Key Stat
The Chippewas finished with a season-low .082 attack percentage, while the Falcons finished at .213. The Chippewas matched their season high with 36 attack errors.
"It's not a match where we're going to have a ton of swings on our highlight real because we only hit .082," Gawlik said, "but I thought that us hitting .082 and them hitting .213 and (us) still being a point or two, a swing away from forcing a fifth set just shows the resilience and how we upped our game in other aspects."
Flipping the Script
The Chippewas defeated the Falcons in straight sets five weeks ago in Bowling Green. All three of those sets were decided by three points or less.
"I think when you're playing elite-level volleyball with elite-level teams, there's not that big of a difference," Gawlik said. "I don't think we were amazing when we played them last time and (were) terrible tonight. I do think that there's a small difference separating elite-level teams from each other and I thought we were just on the wrong side of the coin tonight."
Home Court
As the higher seed, the Chippewas were technically the home team. But the game was played on the Falcons' home court, making it a de facto home game for them.
Bowling Green earned that right by winning the league title in 2018.
"Bowling Green earned the opportunity to host and that comes with the territory of winning the year before," Gawlik said. "I felt like in set four, we had a little bit of a lead there and as they were gaining ground on us, yeah without a doubt you could feel the energy in the building lifting.
"Certainly, that's a benefit for the home team to have a bunch of support. I thought the crowd was great tonight. It wasn't always in our favor, but I liked the energy. I'd much rather play in front of a bunch of people than nobody, even if they don't like you or don't want you to win. I'm OK with that. It was great energy."
Among them, its first Mid-American Conference West Division championship in 16 years and just the second 20-win season since the mid 1980s.
But the big one, the one the Chippewas most coveted, will have to wait for at least a year.
Bowling Green ended the Chippewas' remarkable season on Saturday with a 25-14, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22 victory in a MAC Tournament semifinal at the Falcons' Stroh Center.
The Chippewas, who were seeded No. 2 in the tournament, finished 21-8 in a year that saw the program make extraordinary tangible gains under fourth-year coach Mike Gawlik.
"To be on the journey to where we want to go is going to take a little bit of time," Gawlik said. "We took a few steps forward this year for sure.
"Talking to the team in the locker room, I feel like that when we take a step back and the sting of losing tonight in a couple of close sets wears off, we're going to be really proud of our body of work."
How It Happened
The third-seeded Falcons (19-11) used a 6-0 run to seize a 13-7 lead in the first set, and the Chippewas never got closer than four points for the remainder of the set.
The final three sets were closely contested with the teams exchanging the lead with neither able to gain a strong foothold. But the Falcons were able to come up with the big block and the key kill when they most needed it.
"Composure down the stretch in some big matches is something that we're going to learn, and you can only learn those things by being in those moments," Gawlik said. "I thought outside of set one tonight, we were right in it, we were right in that fight. That takes some time.
"I think we'll be better the next time that we're in that moment. The only way that you can get reps under that pressure and those expectations is by putting yourself in that situation. I'm proud of our ability to put ourselves in that position and we can start that learning curve."
Leaders
Kalina Smith led the Chippewas with 11 kills, while Anna Erickson and Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez had nine each. CMU setters Kendall Braate and Grace Butler combined for 39 assists.
Libero Megan Kern, the lone Chippewa senior to play in Saturday's match, had four aces and 30 digs.
Key Stat
The Chippewas finished with a season-low .082 attack percentage, while the Falcons finished at .213. The Chippewas matched their season high with 36 attack errors.
"It's not a match where we're going to have a ton of swings on our highlight real because we only hit .082," Gawlik said, "but I thought that us hitting .082 and them hitting .213 and (us) still being a point or two, a swing away from forcing a fifth set just shows the resilience and how we upped our game in other aspects."
Flipping the Script
The Chippewas defeated the Falcons in straight sets five weeks ago in Bowling Green. All three of those sets were decided by three points or less.
"I think when you're playing elite-level volleyball with elite-level teams, there's not that big of a difference," Gawlik said. "I don't think we were amazing when we played them last time and (were) terrible tonight. I do think that there's a small difference separating elite-level teams from each other and I thought we were just on the wrong side of the coin tonight."
Home Court
As the higher seed, the Chippewas were technically the home team. But the game was played on the Falcons' home court, making it a de facto home game for them.
Bowling Green earned that right by winning the league title in 2018.
"Bowling Green earned the opportunity to host and that comes with the territory of winning the year before," Gawlik said. "I felt like in set four, we had a little bit of a lead there and as they were gaining ground on us, yeah without a doubt you could feel the energy in the building lifting.
"Certainly, that's a benefit for the home team to have a bunch of support. I thought the crowd was great tonight. It wasn't always in our favor, but I liked the energy. I'd much rather play in front of a bunch of people than nobody, even if they don't like you or don't want you to win. I'm OK with that. It was great energy."
Team Stats
BGSU
CMU
Kills
56
52
Errors
18
36
Attempts
178
195
Hitting %
.213
.082
Points
74
67
Assists
52
49
Aces
2
8
Blocks
16
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
11
Aces
2
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
Setter/Opposite
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ VolleyballOpposite/Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Libero
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