Volleyball falls to WMU, eliminated from MAC Tournament
Senior outside hitter Jordan Bueter, bottom, dives for the ball at the CMU volleyball game against Akron on Oct. 21 in McGuirk Arena.
Central Michigan volleyball’s season ends with a loss to rival Western Michigan 3-2 on Thursday, Nov. 16 at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio.
The Chippewas have been eliminated from the 2017 Mid-American Conference Tournament, while WMU faces Ball State tomorrow at 7 p.m.
“We’re disappointed,” head coach Mike Gawlik said. “I thought we started the match well. When Western pushed back I’m not sure our push was good enough.”
WMU opened the first set with a 4-point lead, putting the Chippewas in a tough spot. CMU finished set one on a 12-8 run in a 25-21 win to take the opening set.
Jordan Bueter lead the first set with seven kills while adding five digs and hit .357 percent in the opening stanza.
The Broncos were ahead early in the second set. With WMU leading 10-9, CMU finished set two on a 16-11 run to take a 2-0 lead into the break after a 25-21 victory.
WMU found momentum in the third set, opening four-point leads on multiple occasions. Trailing 19-16, the Chippewas went on a 3-0 run to force a Bronco timeout.
WMU came out of the timeout with a 6-3 run — taking the third set 25-22.
The Broncos pulled away in the second half of the fourth set. WMU finished on a 15-7 run and take the fourth set 25-17.
The Broncos went on a 9-2 run to win the set 15-8 and the match 3-2.
“We played hard, but not necessarily smart at times,” Robertson said. “I think there was some hesitation in key plays. I thought we played hard, but not hard enough at the right moments.”
Bueter lead the team with 19 kills, while Robertson and senior Paige Carey combined for 22 kills, five digs, and two blocks.
Carey also contributed a team high .364 hitting percentage.
“Grace (Butler) did a great job of moving the ball around,” Carey said. “It was easy to find seams and certain spots on the court because Grace was moving the ball around excellent.”
WMU’s Rachel Bontrager lead the match with 23 kills while hitting .388.
