Volleyball suffers 3-0 loss to Kent State
Freshman outside hitter Kalina Smith hits the ball over the net at the CMU Volleyball game against Kent State on Oct. 7 at McGurik Arena.
After three-straight road matches, the Central Michigan volleyball team returned home to host Kent State. The Chippewas fell to the Golden Flashes 3-0.
“This is the first time that I felt we stopped fighting all year,” said head coach Mike Gawlik. “That was the part that was disappointing, not that we lost but that our fight stopped.”
Set one showed early on that both teams were evenly matched. The score was tied 16 times. Kent State would prevail in the end, winning 27-25. Seniors Courtney Hiltibran and Jordan Bueter each added two aces, while Bueter and senior Paige Carey each added four kills.
“Set one was really back and forth,” Gawlik said. “I thought we had an opportunity to steal it and I thought we weren’t playing our best volleyball.”
Set two started off even again, with seven tied scores, including an 11-11 tie midway through the set. Kent State finished on an 15-4 run to take set two 25-15. Senior Taylor Robertson contributed five kills and two blocks in the second set.
Set three would prove to be all Golden Flashes, taking set three 25-16. Taylor Robertson would finish with nine kills and six blocks on the night, with Bueter adding nine kills and nine digs.
“Tonight was a group effort to not be as successful as we wanted to,” Gawlik. “I don’t think it was a single person who wasn’t on their A game, I thought it was a group effort that didn’t play very well collectively. It’s one match of the 16 in the (Mid-American Conference), we can’t overblow it to be bigger than that.”
CMU sits at 10-8 on the season, 2-4 in MAC play. Kent State improves to 4-13 with a 2-4 record in the MAC.
The Chippewas are back in action on Thursday with a road trip to Miami (OH) at 7 p.m.
