CMU volleyball takes weekend sweep against Akron
Central Michigan women’s volleyball fans cheer during the game at McGuirk Arena, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Fans were given pink pom-poms and “Point Central” signs with pink ribbons in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (CM-Life | Alivia Cranick)
“Well, I can’t say everything I talked about, but I definitely lit a fire.”
This is what head coach Arielle Wilson had to say about CMU’s early timeout in the first set. Whatever was said worked, because the Chippewas flipped a switch after that.
Saturday afternoon, the Central Michigan Volleyball team (6-14, 3-5) swept the Akron Zips (9-10, 2-6) for the second time this weekend at its “Dig Pink” Breast Cancer Awareness game. This dominant win was thanks to efficient hitting and a strong defensive presence for the Chippewas.
Regardless of its 3-0 win over the Zips the night before, CMU knew Akron would put up a fight today.
“They’re a really good team and I think if you’re not ready or taking a backseat, it's really hard to win against them,” Wilson said.
This couldn’t be closer to the truth, and Akron took advantage of every Chippewa mistake. CMU trailed in the majority of the second set but slowly crept back up to their first lead of the set at 23-22. After taking this set, McGuirk Arena erupted, pumping CMU with the motivation it needed to take the third as well.
The key to Central Michigan’s success was not just motivation, but big numbers from outside hitter Natalia Rejment. She picked up her fourth double-double in a row tonight with 19 kills and 10 digs. This was also her season record for kills.
“The block was better than yesterday," Rejment said. "That’s why the defense was easier to play, and our serve receive was also better.”
This strong CMU front allowed the offense to be set well, and that was just what Rejment needed to put up these numbers.
“We knew we needed to win these games because we didn’t start very well in the conference,” Rejment said. "We still want to fight for the tournament.”
Rejment also mentioned that it was “good to be home,” and it was no secret that this large CMU crowd played a role in pushing the Chips to a victory.
Outside hitter Grace Thomas and middle blocker Taylor Cripe followed Rejment with seven and six kills, respectively. DS/Libero Hannah Langton had 10 digs, and DS/Libero Rainey Weidman had eight. Keelyn Muell penciled in 37 assists on the night, setting the offense up well.
The Chippewas hit the road next week to face the Kent State Flashes in Kent, Ohio on Thursday and Friday, both at 6 p.m.
Coach Wilson hopes they bring “confidence, energy, and resilience” to this matchup.
“I think we’re getting better, especially [in] our neutral thinking and how we can be next ball focused.”
