Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Volleyball Opens With A Win
8/30/2019 5:51:00 PM | Volleyball
Chippewas conclude Terrier Classic in New York on Saturday
NEW YORK -- The Central Michigan volleyball team opened its season on Friday, downing Maryland Eastern Shore in four sets at the St. Francis Brooklyn Terrier Classic.
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The Chippewas posted a 25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-11 victory.
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"I thought set one and four, we really dominated," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "I thought we were really good with all phases of our game. We put a lot of pressure on at the service line, and it allowed us to run some points.
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"In set two, I thought they flipped the script on us. They got hot from behind the service line. They had a couple of servers who really put pressure on us. They had quite a few aces in that second set. We were constantly dealing with passes that were off the net, and only leaving us with one option.
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"Overall, I was pretty pleased with the maturity as a team to kind of rebound from set two, a set that didn't go our way. We found a way to win in set three, and opened it up in set four from the service line."
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HOW IT HAPPENED
After splitting the first two sets, CMU found themselves tied late in the third set at 22. They would score the next three points to win the set. CMU finished the fourth set with a .471 hitting percentage.
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"When you're winning, you can serve a little more aggressively because you're like 'OK, I missed, it's no big deal, we're winning,'" Gawlik said. "When you're playing from behind, sometimes you stop serving aggressively. So, I thought in sets one and four, as we opened up a lead on the scoreboard, you can take a deep breath and serve with a lot more relaxed aggression."
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As a team, CMU finished with 42 kills, 41 assists, a hitting percentage of .253, and 13 aces.
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LEADERS
Junior outside hitter Kalina Smith led CMU in kills with 12, while sophomore middle blocker Maddie Whitfield added 10. Meg Kern had a team-high 13 digs, while setter Kendall Braate had 34 assists and 11 digs.
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Middle blocker Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez had seven kills on 10 attempts, finished with a team-best .700 hitting percentage.
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NEXT
CMU will play a doubleheader to finish the Terrier Classic on Saturday. The Chippewas are scheduled to play Saint Peter's at 9 a.m., and then will take on NJIT at 4:30 p.m.
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The Chippewas posted a 25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-11 victory.
Â
"I thought set one and four, we really dominated," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "I thought we were really good with all phases of our game. We put a lot of pressure on at the service line, and it allowed us to run some points.
Â
"In set two, I thought they flipped the script on us. They got hot from behind the service line. They had a couple of servers who really put pressure on us. They had quite a few aces in that second set. We were constantly dealing with passes that were off the net, and only leaving us with one option.
Â
"Overall, I was pretty pleased with the maturity as a team to kind of rebound from set two, a set that didn't go our way. We found a way to win in set three, and opened it up in set four from the service line."
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HOW IT HAPPENED
After splitting the first two sets, CMU found themselves tied late in the third set at 22. They would score the next three points to win the set. CMU finished the fourth set with a .471 hitting percentage.
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"When you're winning, you can serve a little more aggressively because you're like 'OK, I missed, it's no big deal, we're winning,'" Gawlik said. "When you're playing from behind, sometimes you stop serving aggressively. So, I thought in sets one and four, as we opened up a lead on the scoreboard, you can take a deep breath and serve with a lot more relaxed aggression."
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As a team, CMU finished with 42 kills, 41 assists, a hitting percentage of .253, and 13 aces.
Â
LEADERS
Junior outside hitter Kalina Smith led CMU in kills with 12, while sophomore middle blocker Maddie Whitfield added 10. Meg Kern had a team-high 13 digs, while setter Kendall Braate had 34 assists and 11 digs.
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Middle blocker Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez had seven kills on 10 attempts, finished with a team-best .700 hitting percentage.
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NEXT
CMU will play a doubleheader to finish the Terrier Classic on Saturday. The Chippewas are scheduled to play Saint Peter's at 9 a.m., and then will take on NJIT at 4:30 p.m.
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Players Mentioned
Setter/Opposite
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
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