Chippewas Complete Perfect Weekend; Smith Earns Tourney MVP

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The Central Michigan volleyball team won the final game of the Red & White Invitational on Saturday when it topped host Youngstown State in straight sets to finish the weekend 3-0.

CMU improved to 10-2, and extended its win streak to five games.

CMU won nine straight sets over the weekend after dropping the first two sets to Eastern Illinois in its tournament opener on Friday.

How It Happened
CMU defeated Youngstown State, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22, finishing with a .235 attack percentage to the Penguins' .120.

Kalina Smith led CMU in kills with 12. Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez followed with eight kills and had a hitting percentage of .500. Grace Butler led in assists with 20, Kendall Braate followed with 15. Megan Kern led in digs with 17.

"I thought we played a really great match from start to finish," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "Sometimes, we give up a two-, three-, or four-point run, but I felt like we never hit the panic button. We stayed pretty poised, and confident, even when things weren't going our way."

Gawlik said that when the Chippewas hit a lull, it didn't last for long.

"We got back to work," he said. "I'm pleased that was the response we had, instead of 'what if we lose?'

"We want to be the aggressor. Overall, I was pleased with the ability to keep the constant pressure on Youngstown State, who was 2-0 on the weekend (prior to our game). We never allowed them to build enough momentum for them to get going. That was a good product of us putting on pressure from start to finish."

All-Tournament Team
Smith earned the tournament Most Valuable Player Award. She finished with 44 kills, 33 digs, two aces, and a hitting percentage of .171 in CMU's three games.

Sivertsen and Kern were named to the all-tournament team. Sivertsen had 19 kills, and finished the weekend with a .270 hitting percentage. Kern had 78 digs and three aces.

Next
Mid-American Conference action kicks off for CMU next weekend, starting on Friday, Sept. 27 (7 p.m.), in DeKalb, Ill. against Northern Illinois. On Saturday, Sept. 28 (5 p.m.), CMU plays at rival Western Michigan in Kalamazoo.

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Team Stats

Kalina Smith

Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez

Sierra Gray

Megan Sivertsen

Players Mentioned

Kendall Braate

Grace Butler

Megan Kern

Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez

Kalina Smith