Volleyball Hits The Road For Final Nonconference Tourney

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan volleyball team travels to Youngstown, Ohio to compete in the Youngstown State Red & White Invitational with a doubleheader on Friday and a game on Saturday.

It is the Chippewas' final nonconference tournament before Mid-American Conference play starts next weekend.

The Chippewas went 2-1 last weekend at the DePaul Invitational, improving to 7-2 and matching their win total from the 2018 season.

The Opposition
CMU's first game of Friday's doubleheader is against Eastern Illinois at 11 a.m. EIU is 0-9 after finishing 0-3 at the Evansville Dunn Hospitality Tournament last weekend. CMU defeated EIU at the Chippewa Invitational in straight sets on Sept. 6 at the Chippewa Invitational.

CMU's second game on Friday (4 p.m.) is against unbeaten Robert Morris (10-0), which last weekend dropped just one set in winning three games en route to a first-place finish in the Maryland Eastern Shore Henson's Hawk Invitational.

The Chippewas are scheduled to close the tournament against host Youngstown State on Saturday (2 p.m.). The Penguins are 4-6 after finishing 0-3 last weekend in the Towson Invitational.

Coach Mike Gawlik
CMU coach Mike Gawlik said the focus for his team heading into its final nonconference tournament is repetition, consistency and fine tuning.

"Our first-ball contact is one of those things that we're constantly trying to get better at," he said. "We know that that's the gas in our engine. If we keep our offense fueled with high quality digs or passes, we know that we're real tough team to stop offensively.

"This is the last chance to work out some of the bugs before we get into conference play, and I'm excited with the growth through the first few weeks. I'm optimistic and have high standards for what we can do this weekend."

Travel
CMU hasn't had a home game since the Sept. 6-7 Chippewa Invitational, and its next home game is slated for Saturday Oct. 5 against Kent State.

Gawlik said he views road games as an opportunity for his team to grow team chemistry and bond.

"There's good team chemistry and team bonding when you're on a bus, when you're at team dinner, or doing some of those other things," he said, adding that he uses games to help his student-athletes decompress.

"This past weekend, we had a lot of card tricks, and a lot of group riddles," he said. "Some of those moments that are in between matches, on the bus, or in an airport are where you can get to know your athletes a little bit differently, and in a far different way than the high standard you're holding them to in the gym. It's a really fun part of being in a team setting."

Next
MAC play starts for CMU next weekend when the Chippewas go to Northern Illinois on Friday, Sept. 27 (7 p.m.) and then to Western Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 28. The start time for the match at Western has yet to be determine. The Chippewa football team also plays at Western on Sept. 28.

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