Schultz leads CMU to pair of weekend wins
After struggling through the first part of the conference season, the Central Michigan women's volleyball team is beginning to gel.
CMU stretched its winning streak to four matches after sweeping the University at Buffalo 25-21, 25-15 and 25-17 Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y.
The wins improve the Chippewas' record to .500 at 11-11 overall and 5-5 in the Mid-American Conference.
“This was an important weekend for us," said head coach Erik Olson. "We have been playing some good volleyball as of late, and tonight we were really firing on all cylinders. It's good to see.”
The Bulls seemed overmatched by a CMU attack led by junior middle blocker Kaitlyn Schultz. Schultz finished with a match-high 14 kills and .636 hitting percentage.
But she was not alone, as the team featured a diverse attack that saw three players reach double-digit kills. Sophomore Lindsey Dulude and senior Lauren Krupsky each had 10 and 11 kills, respectively, while sophomores Katie Schuette and Val DeWeerd each contributed five kills.
Defensively, they was led by Schuette and Kelsey Detweiler, who each had 10 digs. Junior setter Catherine Ludwig had 37 assists.
Akron win
CMU started off the weekend strong, beating Akron 3-1 (25-18, 19-25, 25-21 and 25-22) at Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio.
The Chippewas were led by Kaitlyn Schultz's 17 kills and .571 hitting percentage. Lindsey Dulude had 11 kills while Val DeWeerd and Lauren Krupsky added 10 and 9, respectively.
“We got contributions from all over this weekend, it makes us tough to defend," Olson said.
Senior Lisa Johnson had 14 digs and Catherine Ludwig had 41 assists.
The team returns home with a chance to extend their winning streak to five when they face in-state rival Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Thursday at Finch Fieldhouse before hitting the road to play at Kent State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
