Without Kelly Maxwell, volleyball drops final non-conference game to IPFW 3-1
The Central Michigan volleyball team fell to Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1 Saturday night at home, despite scoring at least 23 points in each set.
The Mastodons (10-3) came into the match fresh off a 3-2 loss to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Friday night, while the Chippewas had a week off prior to the start.
CMU (6-5) lost its first set to the Mastodons with a score of 23-25. The team made a comeback after falling behind 13-6, setting a point-for-point game tempo until IPFW squeezed out the win.
After pushing the second set to extra points, the Mastodons prevailed, scoring 27 points over the Chippewas 25.
The Chippewas won the third set 25-23 but were unable to hold on in the final set, despite leading most of the game.
“We need to focus on finishing, even though we should have been up in a lot of (the sets) – we still should have finished them,” freshman middle blocker Angie White said.
Head coach Erik Olson said he felt his team didn't play to its potential.
“Every position on our team combined made 10 mistakes, mentally or physically, in every match that could have made this a better match,” Olson said.
CMU’s offense was led by freshman setter Jordan Timmer. She had 48 assists and led the Chippewas to a .259 hitting percentage in her first start filling in for the injured Kelly Maxwell.
"We had a very good player (Maxwell) on the bench tonight, and those are some of the intangibles that she brings; she brings a lot of heart,” Olson said. “Jordan did a good job, but you can’t learn that in your first match.”
IPFW’s Tessa McGill had a season-low 16 digs in the match – 2.59 less digs than her average per game.
“We certainly were following a game plan tonight, and I think our hitters did a good job at that,” Olson said.
The Chippewa offense was lead by Lindsey Dulude, who had 16 of the 60 team kills on the night. Angie White had 11 kills and four blocks.
“I had a big night tonight, but, going into practice next week, I’m going to continue to work hard and focus on my blocking,” White said.
Junior defensive specialist Jenna Coates led CMU’s defense, digging up 18 balls.
CMU will start Mid-American Conference play at 7 p.m. Friday against Northern Illinois at McGuirk Arena.
