Friday, September 1
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
12:30 PM
Central Michigan University
1-3,0-0MAC
3
vs
0
Albany
1-3,0-0America East
1
2
3
F
UAlbany
22
21
18
0
Central Mich.
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Josie Ransley '25,M'27 - @josieransmedia
Thrilling Day for CMU Volleyball Ends in Two Victories, and Milestone for Gawlik
9/1/2023 11:17:00 PM | Volleyball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – In a fashion fitting to the group, the Central Michigan Volleyball team rebounded from a tough opening weekend to start the Chippewa Invitational 2-0 after victories over UAlbany and Saint Louis.
Central Michigan defeated UAblany in their first game, 3-0 and continued on to beat Saint Louis 3-2 in a thrilling nightcap rally.
The victories for the Chippewas marked wins number 99 and 100 for Head Coach Mike Gawlik who is five games into his 8th season at CMU. On the topic, Coach Gawlik said "It is really hard to win one match. So, when you put yourself in a position to win 100, you know how much hard work goes into that. I have a great staff currently; I have had great staffs that have been on the benches for every win. Anytime you can beat another Division 1 opponent that is coached by Division 1 coaches and has elite level players, I feel like it is more challenging to do than even I thought before I turned into a head coach."
Game 1: 3-0 Victory over UAlbany, #1 on the Season for CMU
In the first game of the day, Central Michigan grabbed their first victory of the 2023 season over the UAlbany Great Danes, 3-0. In the victory, the Chippewas were led by Krystina Kasson who finished with 8 kills, hitting .400 on the day, and two blocks.
Kasson, a junior opposite hitter has found herself in a much busier role for CMU in this season and is making the most of it. "I feel like getting more court experience, each game has a different feel. You never lose those jitters or that feeling of some nervousness, but as I get out there more and I know that my teammates trust me, I feel stronger to be able to take big swings and take risks because I know my team has my back."
Aly Gurtiza, a mainstay for the Chippewas in the starting lineup for three seasons now, has taken on a role as a captain where she looks to more leadership. Gurtiza finished the first game with 13 digs and two assists. However, Gurtiza finds a vast amount of benefit in being an energy maker for her team.
"I think we create our own energy on the court. The crowd then amplifies what we have, and we also feed from that. Having home fans in our gym makes us have a new level of excitement and energy that is unmatched. They're truly important to the home court advantage."
Game 2: 3-2 Thriller over Saint Louis, Coach Gawlik's 100th Win – Many Emotions
Game two for the Chippewas on day 1 of the Chippewa Invitational concluded with a true thriller against Saint Louis. In 2022, the Chippewas played seven five-set games, and were victorious in five of those seven. So, for Mike Gawlik and some of his players, this is not uncharted territory.
Seeing a large amount of court time, however was uncharted territory for many of the Chippewas playing in that five setter. "I liked some of the adjustments we were able to make to put ourselves back in a position to take that game." Said Coach Gawlik. "I think the growth moment for us is how do we stay engaged, and maybe finish in three sets, without letting them (Saint Louis) off the hook."
Sophomore Claire Ammeraal thinks that leaning on the bit of experience the team does has was vital to the victory. "I think one thing that was helpful was our experience from last year, where we had a lot of reverse sweeps. The people who were returning were able to say "Hey, we have been in this situation before, we got this."
In the late night victory, Krystina Kasson led CMU again with 13 kills, while Devon Bright followed behind with 9. Bright, a transfer from Nicholls State, is not new to Division 1 volleyball, but is still fresh to Chippewa Volleyball.
"As we keep on playing, the team is building better connections. That is something I think we really struggled with last weekend (at SEMO) – just having that lack of connection and abilitiy to build momentum off each other. Building off that and building trust in each other is an important thing in tough situations." Bright said.
Up Next for the Chippewas
Central Michigan will close out the Chippewa Invitational as they face Bradley (1-1 in the tournament) who fell to Saint Louis on day 1.
The game is set to take place in McGuirk Arena on Saturday, September 2nd at 3:30 pm.
Central Michigan defeated UAblany in their first game, 3-0 and continued on to beat Saint Louis 3-2 in a thrilling nightcap rally.
The victories for the Chippewas marked wins number 99 and 100 for Head Coach Mike Gawlik who is five games into his 8th season at CMU. On the topic, Coach Gawlik said "It is really hard to win one match. So, when you put yourself in a position to win 100, you know how much hard work goes into that. I have a great staff currently; I have had great staffs that have been on the benches for every win. Anytime you can beat another Division 1 opponent that is coached by Division 1 coaches and has elite level players, I feel like it is more challenging to do than even I thought before I turned into a head coach."
Game 1: 3-0 Victory over UAlbany, #1 on the Season for CMU
In the first game of the day, Central Michigan grabbed their first victory of the 2023 season over the UAlbany Great Danes, 3-0. In the victory, the Chippewas were led by Krystina Kasson who finished with 8 kills, hitting .400 on the day, and two blocks.
Kasson, a junior opposite hitter has found herself in a much busier role for CMU in this season and is making the most of it. "I feel like getting more court experience, each game has a different feel. You never lose those jitters or that feeling of some nervousness, but as I get out there more and I know that my teammates trust me, I feel stronger to be able to take big swings and take risks because I know my team has my back."
Aly Gurtiza, a mainstay for the Chippewas in the starting lineup for three seasons now, has taken on a role as a captain where she looks to more leadership. Gurtiza finished the first game with 13 digs and two assists. However, Gurtiza finds a vast amount of benefit in being an energy maker for her team.
"I think we create our own energy on the court. The crowd then amplifies what we have, and we also feed from that. Having home fans in our gym makes us have a new level of excitement and energy that is unmatched. They're truly important to the home court advantage."
Game 2: 3-2 Thriller over Saint Louis, Coach Gawlik's 100th Win – Many Emotions
Game two for the Chippewas on day 1 of the Chippewa Invitational concluded with a true thriller against Saint Louis. In 2022, the Chippewas played seven five-set games, and were victorious in five of those seven. So, for Mike Gawlik and some of his players, this is not uncharted territory.
Seeing a large amount of court time, however was uncharted territory for many of the Chippewas playing in that five setter. "I liked some of the adjustments we were able to make to put ourselves back in a position to take that game." Said Coach Gawlik. "I think the growth moment for us is how do we stay engaged, and maybe finish in three sets, without letting them (Saint Louis) off the hook."
Sophomore Claire Ammeraal thinks that leaning on the bit of experience the team does has was vital to the victory. "I think one thing that was helpful was our experience from last year, where we had a lot of reverse sweeps. The people who were returning were able to say "Hey, we have been in this situation before, we got this."
In the late night victory, Krystina Kasson led CMU again with 13 kills, while Devon Bright followed behind with 9. Bright, a transfer from Nicholls State, is not new to Division 1 volleyball, but is still fresh to Chippewa Volleyball.
"As we keep on playing, the team is building better connections. That is something I think we really struggled with last weekend (at SEMO) – just having that lack of connection and abilitiy to build momentum off each other. Building off that and building trust in each other is an important thing in tough situations." Bright said.
Up Next for the Chippewas
Central Michigan will close out the Chippewa Invitational as they face Bradley (1-1 in the tournament) who fell to Saint Louis on day 1.
The game is set to take place in McGuirk Arena on Saturday, September 2nd at 3:30 pm.
Team Stats
ANY
CMU
Kills
34
38
Errors
16
20
Attempts
115
112
Hitting %
.157
.161
Points
45.0
53.0
Assists
31
35
Aces
2
9
Blocks
9
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
S
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