Trailing 0-2, Chippewas pull off comeback win at NIU
Things didn't look good for the Central Michigan women's volleyball team through two sets of play Saturday.
After getting swept Friday night against rival Western Michigan, the Chippewas, trailing 2-0 against Northern Illinois, were on the verge of repeating the same performance.
But the team decided that was not the way it wanted to end the season, winning three consecutive sets to beat the Huskies 3-2 in DeKalb, Ill.
"We made some changes during the break and it just gave them a different look," said CMU head coach Erik Olson. "It worked."
After losing the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-16, the Chippewas won 25-23, 27-25 and 25-9, ending the regular season 14-14 overall and 8-8 in the Mid-American Conference. They will be the No. 6 seed in the upcoming MAC tournament, scheduled to start next week.
The Huskies (25-6, 11-5 MAC) came out quick and took an early 8-3 lead. While CMU eventually cut the deficit to two, NIU responded, taking a commanding seven-point lead before cruising to a 25-18 win in the first set.
The second set saw a more evenly matched game with both sides trading points until the match was knotted at nine. That’s when NIU seemed to rally and take complete control of the match. The Huskies scored eight consecutive points to take a 17-9 lead, a whole the Chippewas could not climb out of, and win 25-16 and jump out to a 2-0 match lead.
In the third set, with the reality of a second sweep staring them in the face, they jumped out to a 15-9 lead. NIU would storm back, taking a 16-15 lead, and both teams would trade points. CMU took a 24-23 lead and won the set on a NIU service error.
With some momentum, the resurgent Chippewas entered the fourth set knowing that they still were against the wall. The match was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than three points.
With the set tied at 16, CMU would win the next two points. A kill from sophomore Val DeWeerd gave it a 25-23 set win, evening the match at 2.
CMU seemed to feed off the previous two sets in the fifth and build an early 12-6 lead. NIU would get no closer than five before the Chippewas won the set 15-9, finishing the season in comeback fashion.
“It feels good to get a win,” Olson said. “This is a good win to get to propel us into the tournament.”
Junior middleblocker Kaitlyn Schultz led the way for CMU with 15 kills. Sophomore ,Lindsey Dulude and senior Lauren Krupsky had 13 and 12 kills, respectively.
Freshman defensive specialist Jenna Coates had 18 digs, while senior Lisa Johnson had 12.
Setter Catherine Ludwig had a match-high 47 assists.
Lauren Wicinski had 21 kills for NIU (26-5, 11-5 MAC).
The No. 6 seed Chippewas host a first round MAC tournament match against No. 11 Miami at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Finch Fieldhouse.
