CMU volleyball goes 1-1 during weekend in Ohio
Central Michigan volleyball took on both the Toledo Rockets and the Bowling Green Falcons this past weekend in Ohio where it went 1-1 on the weekend. This brings its overall record to 14-5 and its Mid-American Conference record to 5-2.
Match 1
The Chippewas struggled in their first match against the Rockets, losing in four sets. The first set was long and grueling, going back and forth, neither team refusing to give an inch. Eventually, CMU cracked, and Toledo capitalized, winning 33-31.
Tied at 15 midway through set two, the Rockets went on a 10-2 run to win 25-17.
Central Michigan used a 5-0 run midway through the third set which was crucial in helping it win 25-23. But it wouldn’t matter because Toledo had complete and firm control over the fourth set, winning 25-12.
“There were moments that we played really well (against Toledo), but we didn’t play a very complete match,” head coach Mike Gawlik said. “I thought there were times that we kinda backed down and didn’t really handle adversity very well.”
Senior outside hitter Lauren Schrock led the team in kills with 15, and senior opposite Krystina Kasson added another 13. Junior outside hitter Natalia Rejment also recorded her ninth double-double on the season with 12 kills and 21 digs.
Match 2
CMU bounced back the next day to get a tough win against the red-hot Falcons in a five-set showdown.
The first set was tight. After leading through the first half of the set, BGSU tied it at 16, but the Chippewas were able to fend off the feisty Falcons to win 25-21.
Bowling Green responded quickly responded, using a 5-0 run to help it take set two 25-18.
CMU regained the advantage after using a 6-0 run late to secure a set-four victory. But the Falcons dominated the fourth set, winning 25-15 and taking back all the momentum heading into the fifth set.
Set five started off in a close back-and-forth grudge match with six ties and five lead changes. The Chippewas grabbed the lead, but Bowling Green tied it once again at 11, but the Chippewas had one more push in them. They went on a 4-1 to end it and take the 15-12 victory.
“A big goal for us in the match is to just let it rip, play hard, and take some calculated risks,” Gawlik said. “We weren’t perfect in every moment, but we never backed down, and we never stopped being aggressive, and I thought that was really great.”
Gawlik said this team has learned many lessons and grown in a lot of ways since last year.
“We’re starting to realize we belong in a really elite pool of teams in this league and we can play with anybody,” Gawlik said.
Rejment led the team in kills with 17, and junior middle blocker Brooklyn Conner got in on the action with 10 kills of her own. Freshman middle blocker Grace Thomas showed up big time in both aspects of the game with nine kills and six blocks.
CMU comes home next weekend to take on MAC rival Western Michigan on Thursday at 6 p.m. before facing Northern Illinois on Friday at 6 p.m.
