Volleyball swept by Western, drops to ninth in MAC
Junior middle blocker Paige Carey jumps to spike the ball on Oct. 14, 2016 in McGuirk Arena.
Dropping to ninth place in the Mid-American Conference, the Central Michigan volleyball team struggled to find its rhythm Friday when Western Michigan swept the Chippewas, 25-19, 25-18, 25-12 at University Arena.
Head Coach Mike Gawlik said the Chippewas struggled to string points together as the Broncos kept a consistent rhythm.
"We're disappointed as a group," he said. "We really need to make adjustments heading into these tougher teams. We need to change our mindset."
CMU fell to 9-16 overall and 3-10 in the conference, tied with Eastern Michigan (8-18, 3-10 MAC) for ninth place.
WMU improved to 9-17 overall and 4-9 in the conference, moving up to eighth place in the MAC. The top eight teams advance to the tournament.
Senior setter Kathia Sanchez led the Chippewas with 10 kills and 15 assists. Outside hitters Jordan Bueter and Laura Willson added eight kills apiece.
"Kathia and Laura came out ready to play tonight," Gawlik said. "They did some great things tonight and I really wish more of their teammates would have jumped on board."
After Friday's loss, the Chippewas hit the road to DeKalb, Ill. to play against MAC West-leading Northern Illinois on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
NIU (20-5, 12-1 MAC) swept CMU at McGuirk Arena in the teams' first meeting on Sept. 30.
"We have a tough opponent in Illinois and we need to be up for that challenge," Gawlik said. "They're a hard team to beat but that's the Mid-American Conference and that's what we signed up for."
