Volleyball stunned in heartbreaking five-set loss to WMU, swept by NIU
[wzslider autoplay="true" interval="5000" height="600" transition="'slide'" info="true" lightbox="true"]Between a 25-8 victory and a 25-19 victory in the first two sets Saturday, it looked like volleyball was going to cruise to victory against rival Western Michigan.
The Chippewas were two points from victory in the third set with the score tied at 23 after coming back from a six-point deficit, but that would be as close as they would get to victory, as they lost to the Broncos 3-2.
“Our team put forth a tremendous effort tonight and we were on fire in sets one and two,” said head coach Erik Olson. “Western picked it up in sets three, four and five.”
The Broncos harnessed the momentum from set three and never relinquished the lead to CMU in sets four and five, winning the final two sets 25-16 and 15-7.
A victory Saturday would have given the Chippewas a two game lead over Eastern Michigan and Buffalo for the final playoff spot with two games to go. It also would have tied them with Kent State for the seventh seed, since all three teams also lost Saturday.
Olson says the health of senior setter Kelly Maxwell — who had 36 of her 49 assists in the first three sets — is crucial for the team.
“I know Kelly’s in pretty rough shape tonight. I know going five (sets) tonight didn’t help us,” Olson said. “With her injury, the longer it goes, the tougher it is on her. She did incredible.”
With the team’s next game scheduled for Thursday instead of Friday, it gives Maxwell less time to recover from her injury.
“We’re obviously upset about the outcome but like coach said, there’s a quick turnaround,” said senior middle blocker Danielle Gotham. “We know we have to focus on what we need to do as individuals and for the team.”
FRIDAY
The Chippewas had no momentum on Friday, as they were swept by Northern Illinois at home.
It was a night where the team did not pass the ball well and the outcome of the match reflects in the box score. The Chippewas dropped the three sets by scores of 21-25, 18-25 and 19-25. Whenever they seemed like they were ready to take charge of the match, the Huskies would streak together five points.
“I thought Northern Illinois played a very good match tonight,” Olson said. “We know this team like the back of our hand and I think our focus out there was really poor tonight.”
Throughout the match, the team could not get anything going against NIU. Junior outside hitter Kaitlyn McIntyre did provide CMU with eight kills on the night, but cites lack of consistency as a reason for defeat.
“We weren’t ourselves, and it’s hard to win a match like that,” McIntyre said.
CMU’s postseason hopes are riding on Thursday night’s match at home against Eastern Michigan. If the Chippewas win Thursday, they will clinch a spot in the Mid-American Conference tournament.
