Volleyball Falls to Xavier in NIVC

Thursday, December 1

Athens, OH

5 p.m.

Central Michigan University

20-12,12-6MAC

Xavier

20-11,11-7Big East

Xavier

Central Mich.

12/1/2022 8:07:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Katherine Schultz, CMUChippewas.com

ATHENS, Ohio – The Central Michigan volleyball team fell to Xavier in straight sets on Thursday, which closed the Chippewas' chapter in the National Invitational Volleyball Tournament and the 2022 season.

CMU finished 20-12. Xavier (20-11) advances in the tournament and is scheduled to play the winner of host Ohio and Valparaiso on Friday (6 p.m.).

"I told the team that I felt like we had a great year," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "The way it finished doesn't necessarily define the year itself and that sometimes takes a little bit of time to process. It's an emotional locker room because we had goals of going farther than where we went, but I think when the dust settles, we'll be proud of what we did, the season we had, and the leadership we had from our seniors.

"When you put it out on the line, when you go for it and you're emotionally invested and you lose, it hurts, and that sucks. Any athlete understands that. 3-0 always feels like a blowout, but I feel like we were in all three sets."

The Chippewas fell to the Musketeers, 23-25, 18-25, 27-29.

As CMU built an early 8-3 lead to force a Xavier timeout, the Musketeers rallied for nine of the next 13 points to knot the score, 12-12, in the first set. The teams tied seven more times, the last at 22-22; a CMU service error and two attack errors gave Xavier the final three points and the set.

The Chippewas rallied from a 16-11 deficit in set two with a 6-0 run but would eventually get just one more point in the set. Xavier claimed nine of the final 10 points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

CMU put Xavier to the test in the lengthy third set. The Chippewas fell into a 21-14 deficit before rallying to cut the gap to one, 21-20.

Mallory Hernandez denied Xavier at match point with a kill to initiate extended play. Freshman outside hitter Maddy Gebhardt prompted CMU set point three times, the last at 27-26. The Musketeers utilized a kill and an ace to reach match point, 28-27, as Xavier's Anna Taylor delivered the finishing blow.

"Something that we've been really proud of all year is our ability to fight back when things don't go our way," Gawlik said. "For us to take a step forward, we've got to find a way to manufacture some of that response of urgency earlier. Playing in bracket matches like this and tournament play give us a different sense of what we're working with so we can grow in the future."

Sophomore middle blocker Elly Medendorp led the Chippewas with 10 kills on a .444 hitting percentage. Senior opposite hitter Anna Erickson contributed 10 kills and eight digs in her final match in a Chippewa uniform.

Senior outside hitter Mallory Hernandez finished with nine kills while middle blocker Maddie Whitfield added six kills and three blocks.

Freshman setter Claire Ammeraal tallied 33 assists and 13 digs, while sophomore libero Aly Gurtiza finished with 16 digs.

"For the 14 individuals in the locker room that get a chance to come back I think that this has got to be a growing point," Gawlik said. "For the three that are done with their volleyball careers in the maroon and gold, I think they left the volleyball program in a far better spot than when they inherited it.

"It'll be a very different gym without Maddie Whitfield, who has been in it for five years, or without Anna Erickson who has been in it for four (years), and Mallory Hernandez who has been with us all year, so we've got some big shoes to fill.

We've got some people who are ready to grow and step into those roles. I think the people in our program are ready and are itching to show us what they have and how much they've grown. I'm optimistic for the future."