Friday, October 1
Kalamazoo, MI
6 P.M.
Central Michigan University
7-8,1-2MAC
0
at
3
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Western Michigan
11-4,4-0MAC
1
2
3
F
Central Mich.
23
21
23
0
Western Mich.
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Volleyball Drops Weekend Opener At Western
10/1/2021 8:16:00 PM | Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Central Michigan volleyball team dropped its Mid-American Conference weekend opener in straight sets Western Michigan on Friday at the Broncos' University Arena.
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Western took the match, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23, improving to 4-0 in MAC play and 11-4 overall. The Chippewas are 7-8 overall, 1-2 MAC. The rivals will return to University Arena to close the weekend set on Saturday (3 p.m.).
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"When it's a rivalry match, we have to dig a little deeper," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "In at least two of the sets, we were right on the doorstep; in set three we were leading for a majority of it. In those moments we need somebody to step up."
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The first two sets moved favorably for the Broncos, who strung together points throughout the sets to keep the lead consistently. The Chippewas took their first significant lead of the match in the third set, gaining a 15-9 advantage. But they struggled late in shutting down Western scoring runs and eventually fell.
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Although five Chippewas posted five or more kills on the night, Gawlik said his team struggled to find a leader.
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Krystina Kasson and Savannah Thompson had eight kills apiece to lead CMU,
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Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez held a strong presence offensively and defensively, posting a .462 hitting percentage along with three blocks. Libero Aly Gurtiza and Savannah Thompson made 22 and 17 digs respectively.
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"We just couldn't get (Lisbeth) the ball nearly enough," Gawlik said. "I thought we dug a lot of balls but just couldn't do anything with them. We have to reassess some things in our lineup at large and find a way to be a lot more productive tomorrow.
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"We're not broken, but we need to be two points better; there's a big difference between winning by two and losing by two and right now we find ourselves on the short end of that stick too often."
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Western took the match, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23, improving to 4-0 in MAC play and 11-4 overall. The Chippewas are 7-8 overall, 1-2 MAC. The rivals will return to University Arena to close the weekend set on Saturday (3 p.m.).
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"When it's a rivalry match, we have to dig a little deeper," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "In at least two of the sets, we were right on the doorstep; in set three we were leading for a majority of it. In those moments we need somebody to step up."
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The first two sets moved favorably for the Broncos, who strung together points throughout the sets to keep the lead consistently. The Chippewas took their first significant lead of the match in the third set, gaining a 15-9 advantage. But they struggled late in shutting down Western scoring runs and eventually fell.
Â
Although five Chippewas posted five or more kills on the night, Gawlik said his team struggled to find a leader.
Â
Krystina Kasson and Savannah Thompson had eight kills apiece to lead CMU,
Â
Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez held a strong presence offensively and defensively, posting a .462 hitting percentage along with three blocks. Libero Aly Gurtiza and Savannah Thompson made 22 and 17 digs respectively.
Â
"We just couldn't get (Lisbeth) the ball nearly enough," Gawlik said. "I thought we dug a lot of balls but just couldn't do anything with them. We have to reassess some things in our lineup at large and find a way to be a lot more productive tomorrow.
Â
"We're not broken, but we need to be two points better; there's a big difference between winning by two and losing by two and right now we find ourselves on the short end of that stick too often."
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Team Stats
CMU
WMU
Kills
41
42
Errors
17
20
Attempts
125
136
Hitting %
.192
.162
Points
49
53
Assists
38
36
Aces
3
5
Blocks
5
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
Libero/Defensive Specialist
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