Friday, February 26
Mount Pleasant, MI
2 P.M.
Central Michigan University
7-5,7-5MAC
3
vs
1
Akron
3-9,3-9MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Akron
23
6
25
21
1
Central Mich.
25
25
16
25
3
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Volleyball Completes Sweep Of Akron
2/26/2021 6:14:00 PM | Volleyball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Savannah Thompson finished with 14 kills on Friday as the Central Michigan volleyball team defeated Akron in four sets in a Mid-American Conference match at McGuirk Arena.
The win gave the Chippewas a sweep of the two-match series with the Zips. CMU, which extended its win streak to four, is 7-5. Akron is 3-9.
"I think especially playing in the MAC you never really know what's going to happen," said Thompson, a junior who has been a consistent producer in a constantly evolving Chippewa lineup. "I love it and I think that's what the team loves about playing in the MAC. That's why I think it's really rewarding when you beat a team 2-0 on a weekend.
"There's some determination that comes along with that; you know we didn't come out to beat them once this weekend, we came to beat them twice. Mature teams are able to do that, keep their foot on the gas and push forward."
How It Happened
The Chippewas never trailed in taking set 1, 25-23, and then rolled to a dominant 25-6 victory in the second. Akron rebounded to win the third, 25-16, and then the Chippewas responded with a 25-21 set-4 victory.
CMU won Thursday's match in five sets after squandering a 2-0 lead.
"We showed growth from last night, which is something you always want to do when you're playing the same team back to back," Thompson said.
Though CMU dropped the third set – after polishing off the Zips relatively easily in the second – the Chippewas bounced back quickly to finish the match in four.
CMU scored three-consecutive points to seize a 15-12 lead, and then went on a 4-0 surge to bump their lead to 20-14. Akron never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
"When you win a set really big, 25-6, I feel like you've got to pump the brakes for your group and not necessarily start the ticker-tape parade," Gawlik said. "Whether you win 31-29 or 25-6, you start over and that other team has the ability to flush that (losing) set out.
"At times I get nervous when you get that blowout win because it can fragment the focus of the group. Really good teams are able to separate sets and push back. Akron did a really good job of resetting in set three and we found our momentum in set four."
Leaders
Sierra Gray and Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez finished with 11 kills apiece, while freshman Elly Medendorp had a career-high seven kills on 11 swings for a .545 hitting percentage.
Thompson led the Chippewas with 24 digs, while setters Grace Butler and Kamryn Olson combined for 45 assists.
Stepping Up
Medendorp made her second career start and is symbolic of how the season has evolved for the Chippewas, who played on Friday without three mainstays, Anna Erickson, Kendall Braate, and Megan Sivertsen, and is still adjusting to the loss for the season of top talent Kalina Smith.
"Everything starts in practice and working your butt off, being ready, always thinking I could go in at any point – someone could go down or someone could be struggling and I'm going to be that person for my team to go in," Medendorp said.
Said Gawlik: "We knew in the beginning we were going to have to dig a little deeper in a year of COVID, for a variety of reasons. You're able to kind of utilize your bench to kind of get things going for us. The growth comes in when you can rely on other people and I feel like there's a real confidence that we have in each other.
"On a daily basis we prepare for everybody to meet the demands of the role when they're called. I think we needed a little bit from everybody."
Numbers
The Chippewas finished with a .204 hitting percentage, their lowest in their last four matches, but still a good number. They also had 11 blocks, their second-highest total of the season.
The win gave the Chippewas a sweep of the two-match series with the Zips. CMU, which extended its win streak to four, is 7-5. Akron is 3-9.
"I think especially playing in the MAC you never really know what's going to happen," said Thompson, a junior who has been a consistent producer in a constantly evolving Chippewa lineup. "I love it and I think that's what the team loves about playing in the MAC. That's why I think it's really rewarding when you beat a team 2-0 on a weekend.
"There's some determination that comes along with that; you know we didn't come out to beat them once this weekend, we came to beat them twice. Mature teams are able to do that, keep their foot on the gas and push forward."
How It Happened
The Chippewas never trailed in taking set 1, 25-23, and then rolled to a dominant 25-6 victory in the second. Akron rebounded to win the third, 25-16, and then the Chippewas responded with a 25-21 set-4 victory.
CMU won Thursday's match in five sets after squandering a 2-0 lead.
"We showed growth from last night, which is something you always want to do when you're playing the same team back to back," Thompson said.
Though CMU dropped the third set – after polishing off the Zips relatively easily in the second – the Chippewas bounced back quickly to finish the match in four.
CMU scored three-consecutive points to seize a 15-12 lead, and then went on a 4-0 surge to bump their lead to 20-14. Akron never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
"When you win a set really big, 25-6, I feel like you've got to pump the brakes for your group and not necessarily start the ticker-tape parade," Gawlik said. "Whether you win 31-29 or 25-6, you start over and that other team has the ability to flush that (losing) set out.
"At times I get nervous when you get that blowout win because it can fragment the focus of the group. Really good teams are able to separate sets and push back. Akron did a really good job of resetting in set three and we found our momentum in set four."
Leaders
Sierra Gray and Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez finished with 11 kills apiece, while freshman Elly Medendorp had a career-high seven kills on 11 swings for a .545 hitting percentage.
Thompson led the Chippewas with 24 digs, while setters Grace Butler and Kamryn Olson combined for 45 assists.
Stepping Up
Medendorp made her second career start and is symbolic of how the season has evolved for the Chippewas, who played on Friday without three mainstays, Anna Erickson, Kendall Braate, and Megan Sivertsen, and is still adjusting to the loss for the season of top talent Kalina Smith.
"Everything starts in practice and working your butt off, being ready, always thinking I could go in at any point – someone could go down or someone could be struggling and I'm going to be that person for my team to go in," Medendorp said.
Said Gawlik: "We knew in the beginning we were going to have to dig a little deeper in a year of COVID, for a variety of reasons. You're able to kind of utilize your bench to kind of get things going for us. The growth comes in when you can rely on other people and I feel like there's a real confidence that we have in each other.
"On a daily basis we prepare for everybody to meet the demands of the role when they're called. I think we needed a little bit from everybody."
Numbers
The Chippewas finished with a .204 hitting percentage, their lowest in their last four matches, but still a good number. They also had 11 blocks, their second-highest total of the season.
Team Stats
UA
CMU
Kills
41
50
Errors
26
19
Attempts
156
152
Hitting %
.096
.204
Points
50
67
Assists
37
47
Aces
4
6
Blocks
5
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
4
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
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