Freshman Fuchs gives stellar effort despite loss
After sweeping Toledo on Friday, volleyball was swept by Ball State 24 hours later at McGuirk Arena.
Despite falling behind early in the match, the Chippewas produced a stellar effort by freshman outside hitter Melissa Fuchs. She proved to be a thorn in the side of the Cardinals on Saturday night.
With a total of 10 kills on the night, Fuchs finishes up her first weekend of Mid-American Conference play. For a freshman who is new to the scene, conference play can be challenging at times.
“It feels good, and it makes me feel more comfortable playing (various) teams,” Fuchs said. “I feel really close to the team, so it’s great to have these two matches so we can build for next time.”
On a night when it seemed as if the Chippewas were continuing to fall short, the freshman from Utah made her presence felt on the court. Head coach Erik Olson claimed his team did not play aggressively enough, and while that might be true, Fuchs still hit the ball with authority against the Cardinals.
“Kelly (Maxwell) gave me a lot of great sets,” Fuchs said. “I have to give my thanks to her for that.”
Fuchs, a native of Provo, Utah, has had past success while in high school and looks to continue that in her time with CMU. Having won the 5A Utah State Championship for Pleasant Grove High School in her senior year, she knows what it takes to win.
Under adversity, the team struggled to get much going against Ball State, but they aren't hanging their heads. With so much of the MAC season in front of them, they cannot become discouraged.
“We have to do a better job under adversity,” Olson said. “I thought we did a great job against Toledo, but tonight we got out to a tough start and we just didn’t bounce back.”
