Central Michigan Volleyball opens Bulldog Brawl with loss to Norte Dame
With one last stop before its first home game of the season, Central Michigan volleyball traveled to Indiana for a two-day tournament in the Bulldog Brawl hosted by Butler University.
Its first opponent of the weekend was Notre Dame, who came out on top winning all three sets (12-25, 19-25, 21-25).
The Chippewas fall to 6-3 on the season.
Freshman outside hitter Claire Ammeraal led the Chippewas with sixteen assists. Staying hot, junior outside hitter Elly Medendorp lead the team in hitting and tied freshman outside hitter Natalia Rejment in kills with seven a piece.
The Fighting Irish set the tone for match one going on a seven-point scoring run early on to take a 12-3 lead. Capitalizing on the Chippewas errors the Fighting Irish dominated the rest of set one with a final score of 25-12.
Making adjustments after set one, the Chippewas rallied in the middle and end of set two to keep themselves in the game. Facing match point, the Chippewas began to do what they do best; battle back. A four-point run with three kills from Maddie Whitfield, Anna Erickson, and Ammeraal forced a Norte Dame timeout. The Chippewas rally would come to an end as the Fighting Irish rallied after the timeout and took the set with a final score of 25-19.
In do-or-die territory, the Chippewas took control in the beginning of set three. Their early run was cut short and followed by seven-point scoring run with two kills, three errors, and one ace from the Fighting Irish. Facing match point once again, the Chippewas went on a three-point scoring run, but came up short as the Fighting Irish secured the third set, 25-21.
The Chippewas continue the Bulldog Brawl on Saturday, Sept. 17 against Missouri at noon, before finishing out the weekend with against Butler at 6 p.m.
