Friday, October 25
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
6:00 PM
Central Michigan University
17-5,8-2MAC
3
vs
1
Buffalo
12-12,8-3MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Buffalo
25
25
23
21
1
Central Mich.
23
27
25
25
3
Photo by: Josie Ransley '25,M'27 - @josieransmedia
Volleyball: Round 1 of Weekend Showdown Goes to CMU
10/25/2024 9:56:00 PM | Volleyball
Chippewas record 10 aces, Thomas posts career-high-tying 16 kills in four-set win over Buffalo
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Freshman Grace Thomas tied her career high with 16 kills and four other Chippewas had nine kills apiece on Friday as the Central Michigan volleyball team won a four-set Mid-American Conference showdown with Buffalo at McGuirk Arena.
It was the Chippewas' fourth consecutive win as they improved to 17-5, 8-2 MAC and trail first-place Bowling Green, which is 9-2 in MAC play, by one-half game. Buffalo, which entered Friday's match in first place, is 12-12, 8-3.
The Chippewas and Bulls play the second match of their two-match weekend series on Saturday (4 p.m.) at McGuirk.
"I wouldn't at all say that we beat them up from start to finish, but I thought we played really mature and composed volleyball in some big moments," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "We got some key stops."
CMU won the final three sets, 27-25, 25-23, 25-21, after dropping the first, 23-25. The Bulls finished with a better attack percentage, .230-.216, and had eight blocks to the Chippewas' six.
"It's a really good testament to our mentality," Gawlik said. "We didn't panic after set 1; we kept our foot on gas pedal. We knew we needed to be a little bit more aggressive.
"We lost the attacking battle tonight. They attacked better than we did, they blocked better than we did, and they defended better than we did."
The Chippewas had 10 aces, their second highest total of the season and their season high in a MAC match. Freshman Hannah Langton had a career-high three aces.
"We were big in big moments," Gawlik said, "and I think our aces, 10 in four sets, is a big, big number for us and it sets the table for us to get high-quality digs that we can flip for points, and I thought that was the difference in the match tonight, and how aggressive we were."
Lauren Schrock, Krystina Kasson, Abby Olin and Natalia Rejment added nine kills apiece for the Chippewas.
"We shared the load and I think that everybody kind of had moments of getting hot," Gawlik said. "We got nine or more kills out of five attackers. That's pretty good productivity. When you do that then nobody really has to be lights out.
"Team win tonight when you find ways to win close sets."
CMU setter Allie Korba finished with 42 assists and shared the team lead in digs (11) with Langton.
"We won this game, but every day's a battle and we know that," CMU senior Aly Gurtiza said. "The MAC is very back and forth and it's just focusing on our game. It doesn't matter what (an opponent) does, we have the pieces to win and we know that."
It was the Chippewas' fourth consecutive win as they improved to 17-5, 8-2 MAC and trail first-place Bowling Green, which is 9-2 in MAC play, by one-half game. Buffalo, which entered Friday's match in first place, is 12-12, 8-3.
The Chippewas and Bulls play the second match of their two-match weekend series on Saturday (4 p.m.) at McGuirk.
"I wouldn't at all say that we beat them up from start to finish, but I thought we played really mature and composed volleyball in some big moments," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "We got some key stops."
CMU won the final three sets, 27-25, 25-23, 25-21, after dropping the first, 23-25. The Bulls finished with a better attack percentage, .230-.216, and had eight blocks to the Chippewas' six.
"It's a really good testament to our mentality," Gawlik said. "We didn't panic after set 1; we kept our foot on gas pedal. We knew we needed to be a little bit more aggressive.
"We lost the attacking battle tonight. They attacked better than we did, they blocked better than we did, and they defended better than we did."
The Chippewas had 10 aces, their second highest total of the season and their season high in a MAC match. Freshman Hannah Langton had a career-high three aces.
"We were big in big moments," Gawlik said, "and I think our aces, 10 in four sets, is a big, big number for us and it sets the table for us to get high-quality digs that we can flip for points, and I thought that was the difference in the match tonight, and how aggressive we were."
Lauren Schrock, Krystina Kasson, Abby Olin and Natalia Rejment added nine kills apiece for the Chippewas.
"We shared the load and I think that everybody kind of had moments of getting hot," Gawlik said. "We got nine or more kills out of five attackers. That's pretty good productivity. When you do that then nobody really has to be lights out.
"Team win tonight when you find ways to win close sets."
CMU setter Allie Korba finished with 42 assists and shared the team lead in digs (11) with Langton.
"We won this game, but every day's a battle and we know that," CMU senior Aly Gurtiza said. "The MAC is very back and forth and it's just focusing on our game. It doesn't matter what (an opponent) does, we have the pieces to win and we know that."
Team Stats
UB
CMU
Kills
54
53
Errors
22
20
Attempts
139
153
Hitting %
.230
.216
Points
67.0
69.0
Assists
50
47
Aces
5
10
Blocks
8
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ VolleyballOPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
DS/L
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OH
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