CMU volleyball loses two-straight at home
Central Michigan volleyball players line up for the National Anthem before the game against Bowling Green State University at McGuirk Arena, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (CMLife | Alivia Cranick)
The Chippewas went down in another five-set heartbreaker Friday night, but not without a fight.
Central Michigan Volleyball (3-11, 0,2) was hoping to secure a win during its home-opener, but the Toledo Rockets (11-3, 2-0) were too strong a match. The Chippewas were off to a good start, taking the first and third sets, but Toledo answered with wins in the second, fourth, and fifth.
The first set looked good for CMU, with strong serving by Taylor Cripe and early kills by Izzy Swiercz and Natalia Rejment. A 3-0 run early in the set pushed the Chips to a strong 9-2 lead. Toledo started crawling back, closing the gap and trailing 12-10, but two strong outside hits by Cripe brought CMU to a 14-12 lead.
The rest of the set was back and forth, both teams showcasing defensive talent and strong hits, but a Grace Thomas hit and two kills in a row by Cripe allowed the Chippewas to defend their lead. An ace by Thomas and another Cripe kill put the nail in the coffin this set, giving CMU the 25-22 win.
The second and third sets were just as close, with Toledo taking the second 25-22 and CMU answering with a 25-21 win in the third. In the middle of the second, Central Michigan seemed to have taken control, leading 13-10 after a 4-point run. They maintained this lead until Toledo went on a late run, pushing them all the way to a 21-19 lead. The Chips couldn’t come back from this blow and ended up giving Toledo the set.
The third set had a different tune, though, with CMU picking up an early lead and holding it for the majority of the set. After pushing to a 6-1 lead, the Chips forced Toledo to take a timeout. After catching their breath, Abby Olin delivered a powerful kill followed by an ace by Cripe, which extended their lead to 9-3. CMU took control in the middle of the set, but Toledo wouldn’t go away that easily.
The Rockets held on, inching all the way up to 24-21, but a kill by Thomas in the end gave the Chippewas this one, 25-21.
Central Michigan ended up falling short in the last two sets of the night, losing by 3 and 6 points, respectively. Although they stuck with the Rockets well in the fourth (25-22), Toledo heated up and took full control of the last, winning 15-9.
Swiercz and Cripe both walked away with 13 kills on the night, while Thomas was close behind with 11. Cripe also picked up five aces. Olin contributed on the offensive side with nine kills. Setter Kaelyn Muell ran the offense well with 38 assists. Hannah Langton was a force on defense, leading the team with 15 digs.
CMU vs Bowling Green State
Central Michigan volleyball fell to the Bowling Green Falcons in 3-0 sweep on Saturday evening. This is the second straight loss at home for the Chippewas this week.
From the beginning, the first set was neck and neck, with neither team gaining more than a two-point lead throughout. Late in the set, with BGSU winning 21-20, Thomas gave her team the tie with a kill. The Falcons responded with two kills on the next two points, making it 23-21, forcing CMU to call a time out.
Out of the time out, Thomas hit another kill, her fifth of the set, to make the score 23-22 BGSU. Despite Thomas’ work, the Falcons won the next two points, taking the first set 25-23.
In the second set, the Chippewas came out of the gate with much more fire. CMU won four of the first five points of the set, with Thomas picking up right where she left off with a solo block followed by a kill on the first two points. BGSU fought back to tie the set at 5-5 and then took the lead at 6-5. From there, the Chippewas went on a five-point run, taking the lead again at 10-6.
This spark of energy was not enough to hold off the Falcons for long, as they eventually rallied to tie the set at 13-13. The Chippewas once again keep this set close, with the teams trading a one-point lead back and forth most of the way. At 22-22, Thomas and Keelyn Muell, a junior setter, combined for a double block, making BGSU use a time out with CMU leading 23-22.
This would be the last point the Chippewas scored in the set as the Falcons tallied the next three points to win it 25-23, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
CMU battled back and forth in a third set that featured 12 ties throughout. After Olin aced to make the set 9-8 CMU, BGSU answered with a three-point run, including two service aces of their own. This drove CMU head coach Arielle Wilson to call a timeout with BGSU winning 11-9.
After the timeout, the Chippewas tied the set back up at 14-14 with good defensive and serving plays. The Falcons later aced again, their third of the set, taking a 19-16 lead, and CMU burned its last timeout to regroup.
At 22-20 in the set, CMU was still not done. Rejment made a kill, and Thomas aced twice to make it a 23-22 Chippewa lead. Despite the late CMU surge, BGSU took the third set, and with it the match, on three straight points, winning 25-23.
Even with the loss, some Chippewas had standout performances. Swiercz recorded 14 kills on the day, her career high in three set matches. Thomas was second with seven kills. Muell also contributed 32 assists, the most in three set matches during her career at CMU.
The Chippewas are back in action next week on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. in McGuirk Arena as they face in-state rival Eastern Michigan.
