Friday, February 12
Kalamazoo, MI
2 P.M.
Central Michigan University
3-5,3-5MAC
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at
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Western Michigan
6-2,6-2MAC
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Central Mich.
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Western Mich.
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Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Volleyball Drops Finale At Western
2/12/2021 6:06:00 PM | Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Similar pattern, same outcome.
The short-handed Central Michigan volleyball team came to life to win the third set on Friday before succumbing to Western Michigan in a four-set Mid-American Conference volleyball match at the Broncos' University Arena.
The Chippewas dropped both matches to Western and are 3-5. They go to Buffalo next weekend for two MAC matches.
How It Happened
Western Michigan (5-2) led 17-16 and then scored seven of the next eight points to pull away in set one. The Broncos used another run, this time 8-1, in turning a 12-9 lead into a 20-10 advantage to take a two-set lead.
The Chippewas won the nip-and-tuck third set that featured 10 ties. The Chippewas rallied from a 15-20 deficit and then scored the final two points on a Savannah Thompson kill and a Western attack error.
CMU clawed back from a 3-10 deficit to draw within 18-20 in the fourth set before Western scored the final five points to claim the match.
Missed Opportunities
The Chippewas did a better job, coach Mike Gawlik said, on the first touch, a critical factor in getting into an offensive flow. But the Chippewas failed to capitalize on enough chances, he added.
"We had to increase our service pressure and I thought one of the things we did really, really well was serve tough," he said. "We traded seven aces today which is a high number for us. We wanted to eliminate their ability to stay in system with aggressive serving. I thought we did that; we just need to take advantage of that at a higher rate."
Leaders
Thompson had 13 kills and Sierra Gray added eight for the Chippewas. Middle blocker Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez had seven kills and hit at .500
Key Numbers
The Chippewas finished with a .175 hitting percentage, while Western finished at .274. CMU had just one set, the fourth, in which they hit better than .200.
CMU's seven aces marked a season high seven, and the Chippewas had 13 in the two matches with the Broncos. It was by far their best showing in that respect in a two-match set this season.
Short-handed
The Chippewas played without Anna Erickson, who combines with Thompson to form a potent one-two punch on the outside. Erickson is averaging 3.25 kills per set. In addition, the Chippewas played without libero Kendall Braate for the fourth-consecutive match, and will be without one of their top threats, Kalina Smith, who is out for the season with an injury.
In short, Gawlik and the Chippewas are searching for the right combination, a situation that was magnified without Erickson on the floor.
"It was a little bit late notice when we found out that we were not going to have Anna today, but we've got people on the bench who are prepared to step into that role," Gawlik said. "I think the important thing is that the standard doesn't change even though personnel might.
"As you're preparing for the season in January you have an idea of what your optimal lineup looks like and yet you know that with COVID that's going to be challenged and changed.
"I don't think that makes us special. Any team could be dealing with that. I think we've maybe had more than our fair share here, but we know that there's a lot of season left, and our focus has to be on the next match and in trying to go to 4-5. Yeah, our record isn't where we want it to be, but you can only change that one match at a time."
The short-handed Central Michigan volleyball team came to life to win the third set on Friday before succumbing to Western Michigan in a four-set Mid-American Conference volleyball match at the Broncos' University Arena.
The Chippewas dropped both matches to Western and are 3-5. They go to Buffalo next weekend for two MAC matches.
How It Happened
Western Michigan (5-2) led 17-16 and then scored seven of the next eight points to pull away in set one. The Broncos used another run, this time 8-1, in turning a 12-9 lead into a 20-10 advantage to take a two-set lead.
The Chippewas won the nip-and-tuck third set that featured 10 ties. The Chippewas rallied from a 15-20 deficit and then scored the final two points on a Savannah Thompson kill and a Western attack error.
CMU clawed back from a 3-10 deficit to draw within 18-20 in the fourth set before Western scored the final five points to claim the match.
Missed Opportunities
The Chippewas did a better job, coach Mike Gawlik said, on the first touch, a critical factor in getting into an offensive flow. But the Chippewas failed to capitalize on enough chances, he added.
"We had to increase our service pressure and I thought one of the things we did really, really well was serve tough," he said. "We traded seven aces today which is a high number for us. We wanted to eliminate their ability to stay in system with aggressive serving. I thought we did that; we just need to take advantage of that at a higher rate."
Leaders
Thompson had 13 kills and Sierra Gray added eight for the Chippewas. Middle blocker Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez had seven kills and hit at .500
Key Numbers
The Chippewas finished with a .175 hitting percentage, while Western finished at .274. CMU had just one set, the fourth, in which they hit better than .200.
CMU's seven aces marked a season high seven, and the Chippewas had 13 in the two matches with the Broncos. It was by far their best showing in that respect in a two-match set this season.
Short-handed
The Chippewas played without Anna Erickson, who combines with Thompson to form a potent one-two punch on the outside. Erickson is averaging 3.25 kills per set. In addition, the Chippewas played without libero Kendall Braate for the fourth-consecutive match, and will be without one of their top threats, Kalina Smith, who is out for the season with an injury.
In short, Gawlik and the Chippewas are searching for the right combination, a situation that was magnified without Erickson on the floor.
"It was a little bit late notice when we found out that we were not going to have Anna today, but we've got people on the bench who are prepared to step into that role," Gawlik said. "I think the important thing is that the standard doesn't change even though personnel might.
"As you're preparing for the season in January you have an idea of what your optimal lineup looks like and yet you know that with COVID that's going to be challenged and changed.
"I don't think that makes us special. Any team could be dealing with that. I think we've maybe had more than our fair share here, but we know that there's a lot of season left, and our focus has to be on the next match and in trying to go to 4-5. Yeah, our record isn't where we want it to be, but you can only change that one match at a time."
Team Stats
CMU
WMU
Kills
45
61
Errors
21
21
Attempts
137
146
Hitting %
.175
.274
Points
61
77
Assists
42
56
Aces
7
5
Blocks
9
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
3
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