Volleyball Rallies To Complete 2-0 Start To Season

Friday, August 26

Memphis, Tenn.

10 a.m. (ET)

Central Michigan University

1-0,0-0MAC

Eastern Washington

0-1,0-0Big Sky

Eastern Wash.

Central Mich.

Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22

8/27/2022 6:46:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Chippewas look to capture season-opening tournament with Saturday win

By: Katherine Schulz, CMUChippewas.com

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – There's no better way to open a season than with a thriller.

The Central Michigan volleyball team went the distance on Friday, winning a pair of matches at the Memphis Tiger Brawl at the Tigers' Larry O. Finch Center.

The Chippewas (2-0) took down Eastern Washington, 3-0, Friday morning and then rallied from a two-set deficit to stun host Memphis, 3-2, in an evening match.

"I couldn't be prouder," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "It really was a team win. We had a lot of people contribute in a lot of different roles when their number was called; what a great day."

Teamwork was the key for Gawlik's squad, comprising a mix of both veterans and newcomers.

"We graduated nine seniors from a year ago," Gawlik said. "Even the players that are on our squad that returned from a year ago, two years ago, they play a different role for us (now).

"We've had some people step up and with a few new faces, I think they're really meshing well from both a chemistry standpoint and how they build into both our offense and our defense."

The Chippewas and the Eagles went back-and-forth in the first set of the morning match, initiating a stalemate that led to an eventual 28-26 CMU victory. Once the gears started turning, there was no stopping CMU in the final two sets. The Chippewas scored seven of the final ten points of the second set for a 25-20 win before shutting out the Eagles in the third for the win, 25-17.

The evening game brought an entire new test and Memphis brought the heat. The Tigers claimed set one, 25-18, and then the second, 25-22.

Returning outside hitters Anna Erickson and Linnea Willer along with Mallory Hernandez, a senior transfer from Georgia, combined for a powerful third-set offense to keep the Chippewas on pace and take the set, 25-23, denying the sweep.

Four consecutive Memphis errors paired with the continuous flow of attack put CMU up safely in the fourth set as CMU led by as many as 11 points, 18-7. They took the set, 25-16, sending the match to the 15-point, winner-take-all fifth.

Tied at 9-9 in the finale, CMU stepped on the gas and refused to look back. Gawlik's squad took six of the final seven points for the 15-10 victory, a memorable one for his squad.

"We use the words 'change our fate,'" Gawlik said. "When it feels like you're down 2-0 and the other team is feeling like they've got it in the bag and that they're in a good spot, to continue fighting and to put yourself in a position where you can flip one set at a time. It takes an hour and a half to do that, it doesn't happen with one play and it doesn't happen with one miscue from the other side; it's just a bunch of plays over and over, and I thought we did a phenomenal job."

Hernandez's experience shone in her CMU debut with a team-high 33 kills on the day, 12 against EWU and 21 against Memphis. She finished with hitting percentages of .579 and .417, respectively.

"Mallory is such an easy going, low-maintenance player on the court," Gawlik said. "She's got a very natural smile to her that really meshes well with our group, and yet she's incredibly aggressive as an attacker. When she's as aggressive as she is, she frees other people up to play with that same kind of aggression-free style to the way that they play; she's a really strong pillar of our offense and defense that opens things up for people to find that same success.

"She's going to carry a big load for us this year and already has, but we've got to be able to balance her out and make sure that we don't put too much on her at any given time, but she's an elite level player and we're glad to have her on our squad."
Freshmen Natalia Rejment and Claire Ammeraal each also had standout performances to begin their collegiate careers. Rejment, an outside hitter, had two aces against the Eagles and finished with 12 kills against the Tigers. Ammeraal, a setter, made 24 assists against Memphis.

Erickson, a senior, combined for 21 kills. In her first time on the court since September, 2021 due to injury, middle blocker Maddie Whitfield tallied seven kills and two block assists against EWU and nine kills with three block assists against Memphis.

Setter Kamryn Olson contributed 34 and 26 assists, respectively.

Sophomore libero Aly Gurtiza finished with 51 digs across both matches.

CMU is set to conclude the Memphis Tiger Brawl with a final match against Nicholls (0-1) on Saturday, Aug. 27 (4 p.m.). The Colonels fell in five sets to the Tigers on Friday afternoon.

"The lesson to be learned is that you're never out of a match until the final whistle is blown and it's over," Gawlik said. "I think that it is a really valuable lesson for us to carry forward, not only into tomorrow and into the next week but all season long. It's not often that you come through in that moment … and you're able to flip all three sets, but it's a powerful message to the group should you find yourself in that situation again."