Volleyball suffers heartbreaking loss against Oakland
On the road and down two key players, Central Michigan volleyball fought tooth-and-nail against Oakland in a five-set match, ultimately losing 3-2.
CMU falls to 5-5 on the season.
“As frustrating as it was, it’s one of those weird matches where we win almost every statistical category, except for the match,” said head coach Mike Gawlik. “I felt like we blew them out in the fourth set, and we got ourselves to 10-7 in the fifth and just really struggled to terminate.”
While seniors Grace Butler and Maddie Whitfield traveled to East Lansing, they didn’t suit up on Friday. Whitfield was in a walking boot on the sidelines, and Gawlik says they don’t have a timetable for her return currently. According to Gawlik, Butler will not suit up on Saturday.
How it happened
After allowing the Chippewas an early lead, Oakland rallied back to tie the first set at 12. The Grizzlies immediately found themselves with a three-point lead, but CMU fought back to tie it up at 18. With Oakland reeling, the Chippewas overwhelmed the Grizzlies’ defense, as OU allowed CMU to rattle off eight of the final 10 points and win the first set 25-22.
With the Chippewas holding the momentum, Oakland quickly flipped the script as they led by three at the midway point of the second set. CMU tried to regain its form from earlier, at one point cutting the Grizzlies lead to one. But OU kept their foot on the gas and secured the second set 25-21.
Both teams entered the third set fired up as the match remained tied at the 17-point mark. The Chippewas scored the next point to take their first lead of the set, but OU returned fire. With the Grizzlies offense in rhythm, CMU had a hard time disrupting their flow as Oakland narrowly took set three, 25-23.
Set four started all CMU, as the Grizzlies quickly found themselves down 15-9. Oakland tried mounting a comeback, but CMU continually responded in the form of senior middle blocker Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez and freshman outside hitter Linnea Willer. Up 10, after a kill from senior outside hitter Sierra Gray, the Chippewas sealed the fourth set 25-14 to tie the match 2-2.
After over two hours of aggressive play, Willer propelled the Chippewas as they took control early and were the first to 10. CMU held a three-point advantage over the Grizzlies, but Oakland immediately rallied to take a 13-11 lead. The Chippewas refused to quit and pushed the Grizzlies to the limit, but it wasn’t enough as OU held on to win 15-13.
Key Performers
Senior outside hitter Savannah Thompson, the reigning Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week, led the Chippewas in kills with 12. Freshman Krystina Kasson added 11 kills while maintaining a .346 hitting percentage.
In her return to the court, CMU sophomore setter Kamryn Olson recorded 26 assists and 13 digs. Senior Kendall Braate also contributed 23 assists.
Rosario-Martinez led the Chippewas in blocks with six, in addition to 10 kills.
Key Stats
Both teams blocked 13 shots, while CMU won the assist battle by four.
What’s Next
The Chippewas will look to bounce back on Saturday, Sept. 18, when they wrap up the Michigan State Tournament with two matches. First, they’ll face IUPUI at 3 p.m. followed by Michigan State at 7 p.m.
