Olson happy with turnout at volleyball home opener
C-M-U! C-M-U! Chants echoed throughout the walls of McGuirk Arena Tuesday night during the home opener of the Central Michigan Volleyball team.
Attendance reached 663 people in McGuirk – only four less than the major crowd in Ann Arbor in last weekend’s tournament.
“We were pretty impressed with the atmosphere tonight,” head coach Erik Olson said Tuesday.
Central Michigan (4-3) took on Oakland University (3-4) pushing the match to four games, with the Chippewas coming out on top.
“There were times last year you could hear a pin drop," Olson said. "Tonight I was yelling. It’s because of the atmosphere and that’s the way it’s supposed to be."
The student section roared with enthusiasm with every hit, dig and set of the match, propelling the Chippewas to a victory.
“It was cool to see our team interact with the student crowd,” Olson said. “We haven’t had a student crowd out-cheer the parent group in about three years.”
The Chippewas were eager and thrilled to be back in their old stomping grounds after having two weekends on the road.
“It feels great [to be home], especially with this new atmosphere in here with a lot of fans, its awesome. We love our fans,” senior outside hitter Lindsey Dulude said.
The Chippewas return home at 7 p.m. Sat. Sept. 15 where they will take on Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW).
