Friday, September 22
Muncie, Ind.
6:00 PM
Central Michigan University
6-8,0-2MAC
0
at
3
Ball State
5-8,2-0MAC
1
2
3
F
Central Mich.
21
19
16
0
Ball St.
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Julia Bice '22,M'24 - @jb.jpg10
Chippewas Drop Night Two in Muncie
9/22/2023 8:54:00 PM | Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Central Michigan Volleyball closed out its first Mid-American Conference series of the season with a loss to Ball State on Friday night in Worthen Arena.
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The Chippewas (6-8, 0-2) were out-dueled by the Cardinals (5-8, 2-0) in the second of a two-game series played between Thursday and Friday, falling in straight sets 21-25, 19-25 and 16-25.
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CMU showed grit and resilience in its first set of the day, storming back from down 16-24 to 21-25 to finish out the set.Â
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After yesterday's matchup, coach Mike Gawlik stressed the importance of learning lessons through experience for the younger players on the roster. The pair of losses to start the MAC schedule should serve as one of those.
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"There are 16 matches, so we have to turn our focus to the next one and yet learn the lessons that we're learning throughout this season," Gawlik said. "We need more accountability from a lot of our players to be ready to go from 0-0. I have a lot of respect for Ball State, but I don't really think we put our best foot forward."
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However, while it was not an ideal start for CMU, there were certainly still positives to be taken from the match. One of which was the play of junior opposite Linnea Willer, who has stepped up and filled in admirably following an injury to fellow junior opposite Krystina Kasson.
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"Linnea Willer had a great match today," Gawlik said. "We're really proud of her ability. I think we blocked better today as a whole as well."
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Willer led the way for the Chippewas in kills with 12, hitting .321. As a team, CMU hit .060 on the night, which Gawlik believes will go up once they address a few aspects of their attack.
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"Our first-ball contact needs to be better," he said. "I think our hitting percentage is a byproduct of some bad situations we have attackers in. That's not a commentary on our setting, but we're constantly setting balls from 20 feet off the net. We're getting blocked at a high rate because we're not able to push the tempo that I think we're best at. We have to earn that tempo by having a more quality first-ball contact, serve receive, in defense, free balls and all of those elements."
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Elsewhere, junior libero Aly Gurtiza provided her usual defense, digging 14 balls and throwing in seven assists. Leading the way in assists was sophomore setter Claire Ammeraal with 25, while chipping in 10 digs and four kills of her own. Sophomore defensive specialist Alina Anderson had CMU's only service ace on the night.
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The Chippewas will continue their MAC schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 26 for a matchup of Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti. The match is set for 6 p.m. ET.
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The Chippewas (6-8, 0-2) were out-dueled by the Cardinals (5-8, 2-0) in the second of a two-game series played between Thursday and Friday, falling in straight sets 21-25, 19-25 and 16-25.
Â
CMU showed grit and resilience in its first set of the day, storming back from down 16-24 to 21-25 to finish out the set.Â
Â
After yesterday's matchup, coach Mike Gawlik stressed the importance of learning lessons through experience for the younger players on the roster. The pair of losses to start the MAC schedule should serve as one of those.
Â
"There are 16 matches, so we have to turn our focus to the next one and yet learn the lessons that we're learning throughout this season," Gawlik said. "We need more accountability from a lot of our players to be ready to go from 0-0. I have a lot of respect for Ball State, but I don't really think we put our best foot forward."
Â
However, while it was not an ideal start for CMU, there were certainly still positives to be taken from the match. One of which was the play of junior opposite Linnea Willer, who has stepped up and filled in admirably following an injury to fellow junior opposite Krystina Kasson.
Â
"Linnea Willer had a great match today," Gawlik said. "We're really proud of her ability. I think we blocked better today as a whole as well."
Â
Willer led the way for the Chippewas in kills with 12, hitting .321. As a team, CMU hit .060 on the night, which Gawlik believes will go up once they address a few aspects of their attack.
Â
"Our first-ball contact needs to be better," he said. "I think our hitting percentage is a byproduct of some bad situations we have attackers in. That's not a commentary on our setting, but we're constantly setting balls from 20 feet off the net. We're getting blocked at a high rate because we're not able to push the tempo that I think we're best at. We have to earn that tempo by having a more quality first-ball contact, serve receive, in defense, free balls and all of those elements."
Â
Elsewhere, junior libero Aly Gurtiza provided her usual defense, digging 14 balls and throwing in seven assists. Leading the way in assists was sophomore setter Claire Ammeraal with 25, while chipping in 10 digs and four kills of her own. Sophomore defensive specialist Alina Anderson had CMU's only service ace on the night.
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The Chippewas will continue their MAC schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 26 for a matchup of Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti. The match is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Team Stats
CMU
BSU
Kills
34
40
Errors
27
16
Attempts
116
109
Hitting %
.060
.220
Points
45.0
53.0
Assists
34
36
Aces
1
1
Blocks
10
12
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
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