Volleyball hosts Kent State Saturday
Central Michigan will play Kent State in a crucial in-conference match on Saturday at 7 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
While the team spent much of the week focusing on Thursday night’s opponent, Eastern Michigan, head coach Erik Olson said his team is looking forward to playing the Golden Flashes, who had won seven of their past 11 games prior to Thursday.
“Kent State’s hot right now,” Olson said. “I know we’re excited to play them, but we’re really one moment, one day, one match at a time.”
A major concern going into Saturday’s match is the setter situation. Senior setter Kelly Maxwell was set to return from injury against Eastern Michigan.
“Honestly, I can’t say for sure how Maxwell is going to respond playing a whole match,” Olson said.
CMU is coming off a weekend in which it went 0-2 against Western Michigan Friday and Northern Illinois Saturday, but Olson was impressed with how the team played.
“Saturday night’s match was perhaps one of the greatest duke it out, grind it out, hard-fought matches that I’ve been a part of,” Olson said. “It wasn’t the prettiest thing, but I told the team that was a win in regards to how we played the match.”
Maxwell said the way the team played last weekend is encouraging going forward.
“I think (team morale) is actually up,” Maxwell said. “We know we can pull ourselves through some situations.”
Saturday’s match is the Chippewas only stop at home in a stretch where they play five of six games on the road.
“If we can combine (last weekend’s effort) with our talent and skill, (we’re) unstoppable,” Olson said. “The key is putting those three components together.”
