Volleyball looks to change road woes
Road matches for the Central Michigan women’s volleyball program have not yielded the best possible results over the last four seasons.
In fact, CMU’s 24-23 road record since 2006 is something of a concern this year as the team will play much of their early schedule away from home.
With the team pegged as the visitor in their first 13 matches, the Chippewas may have some undue stress upon them in the first few weeks of the season.
In total, the team will play 22 matches on the road leaving eight matches in front of the Finch Fieldhouse.
Head coach Erik Olson said the number of matches on the road does not matter and the team is focused on play on the road. is something that will be crucial to the success of the team while on the road.
Olson hoped for a larger showing during the alumnae match to create a road-like atmosphere but said he was pleased with those that did show up.
Part of the bizarre scheduling is due to the renovations that have taken place over the last year at Rose Arena. The new CMU Events Center is slated to open in December but until then, the team has been forced to move games and practices to Finch.
Senior Lauren Krupsky said the relocation from Rose to Finch has led to some positive changes amongst the team. This new outlook may be beneficial with the team scheduled to play in many unfamiliar gyms.
“I think it is a pretty cool experience to get to play here,” Krupsky said. “It’s cool to have our own facility and everything with that.”
Composure on the road will be important as CMU faces league foes Ball State and Toledo early in the season.
Along with their conference schedule, non-conference opponents like No. 24 Northern Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin.
The Chippewas will look to their seniors Krupsky and Lisa Johnson who have participated in 19 of the last 24 roads wins.
Johnson said the biggest part of the team’s success may come done to their defensive efforts while on the road. As they head to Purdue this weekend to compete in the Mortar Board tournament, Johnson said that the focus hasn’t been on who they compete against, but rather perfecting their own skills.
“We just are cleaning everything up and making it what it is supposed to be, but for the most part we are coming along well,” Johnson said.
Conversely, the Chippewas have had a 32-25 record while competing at Rose Arena, and have performed well in neutral sites with a 19-9 record.
