Saturday, October 26
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
4:00 PM
Central Michigan University
18-5,9-2MAC
3
vs
2
Buffalo
12-13,8-4MAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Buffalo
20
23
25
26
12
2
Central Mich.
25
25
18
24
15
3
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
First Place Chippewas Take Down Buffalo in Five Sets
10/26/2024 8:11:00 PM | Volleyball
Central Michigan Volleyball wins its fifth match in a row as it takes down Buffalo for the second straight night; Chippewas remain in first place in the Mid-American Conference.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Everything you would expect and more; that is what game two with Buffalo was for the Central Michigan Volleyball Team. The Chippewas and Bulls battled in a five-set thriller as CMU moves to 18-5 on the season and 9-2 in Mid-American Conference play as Buffalo falls to 12-14 overall and 8-4 in the conference.
Central Michigan was victorious in the first two sets, 25-20 and 25-23. Sets three and four went to the Bulls, 18-25 and 26-24. The deciding set, a 15-12 victory for the Chippewas.
On the season, CMU has leaned on being "the sum of all parts" – that is exactly how it chalked up in the Saturday night win. Grace Thomas, who charted a career high matching 16 kills against the Bulls on Friday night, was held to only seven on night two. "Grace was our star last night (Friday), and was probably a big reason we won that match. But, Buffalo made adjustments, she had four hands in her face all night. That allows us to have other people step up and become involved."
On the night, the Chippewas posted a .213 hitting percentage, compared to the Bulls' .231.
Krystina Kasson led the offense for Central Michigan with 16 kills (.400). Not far behind Kasson was Abby Olin with 15 kills and Lauren Schrock with 13. The three leading that offensive charge are upperclassmen that Head Coach Mike Gawlik leans his cap to, "I think our upperclassmen have set a good tone on keeping us composed as we play in big matches. They have played in big matches at this point. If we want to keep climbing, we have to learn to play with those higher expectations of skill. You can't get better at those moments if you aren't in those moments. I think as our team plays in more and more of these types of matches, we just keep getting better and playing mature volleyball."
Natalia Rejment, who has been a consistent offensive presence for the Chippewas in this season, found herself as the defensive pinpoint in the win over Buffalo. Rejment led all players with 21 digs. "Nat brings so much to the game than just her attacking." Said Gawlik reflecting on the juniors six kills on a -.088 hitting percentage. "…she (Natalia) led us defensively tonight. She kept us in system with passing…she had three aces and had four blocks."
The four blocks for Rejment matches a career high, but the three solo is a career high for the Poland native. "Natalia's impact for us even when she isn't attacking well is really important and she has just been a force for us on all ends all season."
Central Michigan also celebrated their third annual Autism Acceptance night on Saturday night, a cause near and dear to the program. "I think this game every year means a lot to me, and to our program." said Gawlik "I give so much thanks to the university for giving us this platform and to the Autism Spectrum Club on campus for partnering with us for this event. It is such a great opportunity to educate and celebrate neurodiversity in our community while opening up the sport of volleyball to the wider community."
The Chippewas will head to Athens, Ohio where they will take on the Bobcats. The teams will battle on Friday, November 1 and 6 pm and again on Saturday November 2 and 4 pm. "Our goal is not to be in first place after 11 matches, our goal is to be in first place after 18 matches. I am not discrediting anything our athletes have done to get us to this point, it has been incredible, and they have worked incredibly hard. For us, it is important to get back into the gym, have a great week of practice and continue to put ourselves in positions to win matches."
In 2019, the Chippewas won the regular season under Mike Gawlik, and as he reflects on that past time, he says "I told myself in 2019 that the next time we were in this position, I was going to be a better coach. Our final push wasn't what we wanted in that year, but I am part of the team, and I need to lead us to make sure we are focused on us and our path ahead; nothing else."
Central Michigan was victorious in the first two sets, 25-20 and 25-23. Sets three and four went to the Bulls, 18-25 and 26-24. The deciding set, a 15-12 victory for the Chippewas.
On the season, CMU has leaned on being "the sum of all parts" – that is exactly how it chalked up in the Saturday night win. Grace Thomas, who charted a career high matching 16 kills against the Bulls on Friday night, was held to only seven on night two. "Grace was our star last night (Friday), and was probably a big reason we won that match. But, Buffalo made adjustments, she had four hands in her face all night. That allows us to have other people step up and become involved."
On the night, the Chippewas posted a .213 hitting percentage, compared to the Bulls' .231.
Krystina Kasson led the offense for Central Michigan with 16 kills (.400). Not far behind Kasson was Abby Olin with 15 kills and Lauren Schrock with 13. The three leading that offensive charge are upperclassmen that Head Coach Mike Gawlik leans his cap to, "I think our upperclassmen have set a good tone on keeping us composed as we play in big matches. They have played in big matches at this point. If we want to keep climbing, we have to learn to play with those higher expectations of skill. You can't get better at those moments if you aren't in those moments. I think as our team plays in more and more of these types of matches, we just keep getting better and playing mature volleyball."
Natalia Rejment, who has been a consistent offensive presence for the Chippewas in this season, found herself as the defensive pinpoint in the win over Buffalo. Rejment led all players with 21 digs. "Nat brings so much to the game than just her attacking." Said Gawlik reflecting on the juniors six kills on a -.088 hitting percentage. "…she (Natalia) led us defensively tonight. She kept us in system with passing…she had three aces and had four blocks."
The four blocks for Rejment matches a career high, but the three solo is a career high for the Poland native. "Natalia's impact for us even when she isn't attacking well is really important and she has just been a force for us on all ends all season."
Central Michigan also celebrated their third annual Autism Acceptance night on Saturday night, a cause near and dear to the program. "I think this game every year means a lot to me, and to our program." said Gawlik "I give so much thanks to the university for giving us this platform and to the Autism Spectrum Club on campus for partnering with us for this event. It is such a great opportunity to educate and celebrate neurodiversity in our community while opening up the sport of volleyball to the wider community."
The Chippewas will head to Athens, Ohio where they will take on the Bobcats. The teams will battle on Friday, November 1 and 6 pm and again on Saturday November 2 and 4 pm. "Our goal is not to be in first place after 11 matches, our goal is to be in first place after 18 matches. I am not discrediting anything our athletes have done to get us to this point, it has been incredible, and they have worked incredibly hard. For us, it is important to get back into the gym, have a great week of practice and continue to put ourselves in positions to win matches."
In 2019, the Chippewas won the regular season under Mike Gawlik, and as he reflects on that past time, he says "I told myself in 2019 that the next time we were in this position, I was going to be a better coach. Our final push wasn't what we wanted in that year, but I am part of the team, and I need to lead us to make sure we are focused on us and our path ahead; nothing else."
Team Stats
UB
CMU
Kills
60
60
Errors
21
24
Attempts
169
169
Hitting %
.231
.213
Points
80.0
80.0
Assists
53
58
Aces
8
10
Blocks
12
10
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
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