CMU Volleyball swept in first match against Illinois State
Central Michigan University junior middle blocker Teyhlor Thomas yells in excitement after blocking a ball during the volleyball game at McGuirk Arena on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Thomas had two kills and one dig, scoring five points. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
The Central Michigan University Volleyball team had to hear the Illinois State fight song blared with joy just feet from the teams postgame huddle. The chants filled a solemn McGuirk Arena following a 3-0 set sweep by the Redbirds to take the match.
CMU remains winless so far this season, with the loss pushing the team to 0-5.
"We had an opportunity to get some confidence from this," head coach Arielle Wilson said. "We're still a young team, and we're learning through emotions. We've got to put actions behind everything."
The Chippewas' outside hitter Taylor Cripe was all over the hardwood floor, tallying 10 kills and eight digs in the match to lead her squad. The team as a whole had only 23 kills, while the Redbirds dominated with 45.
CMU did overshadow ISU in one category on the score sheet, and that was blocks. Overall, the team had 20 assisted blocks and two solo blocks, while the opponent had only two assisted blocks in the whole match.
Brenna Storz and Teyhlor Thomas both played stout middle blockers on the court, each getting six block assists.
For Illinois State, two players stood out among the rest. Ruth Ziegler totaled a staggering eight service aces, along with seven kills, and Jillian Ferrill racked up 18 kills along the net in the three sets.
Ziegler and Ferrill accounted for 33.5 of the 57 points for ISU.
"Really work on our feet, work on watching her shoulders, where she's trying to hit," Wilson said. "I think [Ziegler's] a phenomenal server. We got to pass high in the middle of the court and just try to get out of that rotation faster."
She proved to be the thorn in the side of CMU as the first set was contested until three consecutive aces from Ziegler pushed the score to 15-9. It was a costly breakdown, and it turned into a 20-11 hole. Central Michigan attempted to rally but couldn't recover from the deficit as it dropped the set 25-18.
Cecilia Bustamante started the first set as the libero, but following that set loss, Wilson made a change and went to Rainey Weidman to wear the white jersey. That small change put a little pep in the step of the Chippewas.
The maroon and gold got out to an 8-4 lead, before it quickly narrowed to 8-7. Both teams went point-for-point from there, and neither team held a lead of more than two until the Redbirds led, 16-14.
CMU eventually flipped the momentum to take the lead, 21-20.
But once again, it was Ziegler taking over and crushing another handful of aces to push Illinois State to the laurels of victory once again to grab the second set, 25-22.
"I think we're still growing and learning, "Wilson said. "It's a long season, so I think my team is fighting, and we'll get better. You just keep putting it in their heads that they're going to be good, and they've got to step up to the challenge. They've got to talk to each other better. They've got to fight for every point. They have to do their jobs and bring energy."
The third and final set began as another hard-fought battle early on, starting tied 8-8. That was until the Redbirds tightened the hold on the match with 13 straight points taken to knock the spirit out of the Chippewas.
ISU clinched the win 25-12 to complete the 3-0 sweep. This win puts them 3-1 on the year.
The Chippewas will have a shot to avenge this loss on Saturday, Sept. 5, as the squad from Mount Pleasants plays Illinois State again at 12 p.m. and Michigan State at 6 p.m.
