Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Julia Bice '22,M'24 - @jb.jpg10
Volleyball Wins in Many Ways in Annual Trip to Mackinac Island
8/19/2023 9:14:00 PM | Volleyball
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. – The Central Michigan Volleyball team traveled to Mackinac Island on Saturday to compete in an exhibition contest against Northern Michigan. The match took place at the Mackinac Island Public School and ended in a 3-0 Chippewa victory. Though a volleyball game was played, there was a plethora of other fun activities the team participated in throughout their day on the island.
The Game
The Chippewas, who have no freshmen on their roster, still had plenty of new faces on the court in the victory. Maddy Gebhardt, Allie Korba, Lauren Schrock, Krystina Kasson, and Emma Dukate – all returning Chippewas saw significant time compared to past seasons. Abby Olin, Brooklyn Conner, Devon Bright, and Alina Anderson – the CMU transfer squad also all played important points and were successful in their official first outing in the Maroon and Gold.
Travel
Departing campus at 6:30 am on the CMU Coach Bus, the volleyball team arrived at Shepler's Ferry where they took the boat from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island for the competition. After a day on the island with their families, the Chippewas headed back to Mackinaw City via the ferry, this time riding on the top of the boat.
Family Time
The Chippewa Volleyball team is not one that is all Michiganders, so Chippewa Nation has to travel often to support the team. Many families made the trip up to Michigan for the Maroon and Gold scrimmage on Friday night, the game against NMU on Saturday and a family brunch held Sunday morning.
Aly Gurtiza's family made the trip from Missouri, Lauren Schrock had her family in attendance from Iowa, Claire Ammeraal and Linnea Willer's families journeyed from Wisconsin, Ella Peter had her family from Indiana up, while Allie Korba and Kayla Brandon's families came from Illinois, and coming from Ohio was the family of Emma Dukate. The Michigan families also made their presence known as Krystina Kasson, Abby Olin, Austyn DeWeese, Alina Anderson, and Maddy Gebhardt's families all made the journey to various parts of the state for the first weekend of volleyball for the 2023 season.
After the game in Mackinac Public School gym, the student-athletes and their families spent time on the island adventuring the tourist spot. Most of the team was returning to the island for at least the second time with the CMU Volleyball team. The time spent having lunch, shopping and of course indulging in the famous fudge, is important to the culture of Central Michigan Volleyball and their family-like atmosphere.
Lake, S'mores and Pickleball
Once departing from the island, via ferry, the Chippewas headed to Bill and Karla Kanine's residence on Burt Lake where they spent the evening hanging out as a team, eating delicious food, swimming and of course – competing against each other.
The team learned from Head Coach Mike Gawlik, the rules of pickleball, and quickly found themselves in a "winner plays on" evening full of competition in the kitchen.
What's Next for The Chippewas
The Chippewas open their regular season against Southern Illinois at the SEMO Invitational on Friday, August 25th in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The game is set for 3 pm and is followed by a match against the host RedHawks at 8 pm.
The four team tournament wraps up Saturday at 4 pm when the Chippewas face the Evansville Aces before heading back to Mount Pleasant to prepare for their own Chippewa Invitational held September 1st and 2nd.
The Game
The Chippewas, who have no freshmen on their roster, still had plenty of new faces on the court in the victory. Maddy Gebhardt, Allie Korba, Lauren Schrock, Krystina Kasson, and Emma Dukate – all returning Chippewas saw significant time compared to past seasons. Abby Olin, Brooklyn Conner, Devon Bright, and Alina Anderson – the CMU transfer squad also all played important points and were successful in their official first outing in the Maroon and Gold.
Travel
Departing campus at 6:30 am on the CMU Coach Bus, the volleyball team arrived at Shepler's Ferry where they took the boat from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island for the competition. After a day on the island with their families, the Chippewas headed back to Mackinaw City via the ferry, this time riding on the top of the boat.
Family Time
The Chippewa Volleyball team is not one that is all Michiganders, so Chippewa Nation has to travel often to support the team. Many families made the trip up to Michigan for the Maroon and Gold scrimmage on Friday night, the game against NMU on Saturday and a family brunch held Sunday morning.
Aly Gurtiza's family made the trip from Missouri, Lauren Schrock had her family in attendance from Iowa, Claire Ammeraal and Linnea Willer's families journeyed from Wisconsin, Ella Peter had her family from Indiana up, while Allie Korba and Kayla Brandon's families came from Illinois, and coming from Ohio was the family of Emma Dukate. The Michigan families also made their presence known as Krystina Kasson, Abby Olin, Austyn DeWeese, Alina Anderson, and Maddy Gebhardt's families all made the journey to various parts of the state for the first weekend of volleyball for the 2023 season.
After the game in Mackinac Public School gym, the student-athletes and their families spent time on the island adventuring the tourist spot. Most of the team was returning to the island for at least the second time with the CMU Volleyball team. The time spent having lunch, shopping and of course indulging in the famous fudge, is important to the culture of Central Michigan Volleyball and their family-like atmosphere.
Lake, S'mores and Pickleball
Once departing from the island, via ferry, the Chippewas headed to Bill and Karla Kanine's residence on Burt Lake where they spent the evening hanging out as a team, eating delicious food, swimming and of course – competing against each other.
The team learned from Head Coach Mike Gawlik, the rules of pickleball, and quickly found themselves in a "winner plays on" evening full of competition in the kitchen.
What's Next for The Chippewas
The Chippewas open their regular season against Southern Illinois at the SEMO Invitational on Friday, August 25th in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The game is set for 3 pm and is followed by a match against the host RedHawks at 8 pm.
The four team tournament wraps up Saturday at 4 pm when the Chippewas face the Evansville Aces before heading back to Mount Pleasant to prepare for their own Chippewa Invitational held September 1st and 2nd.
Players Mentioned
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