Oct. 30, 2004
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio--For just the second time this season and the first time in Mid-American Conference play since Sept. 26, 2003, Miami University's volleyball team put together a three-game win, upending Central Michigan University, 30-25, 30-21 and 30-24. Miami improves to 7-14 overall and 5-7 in MAC action, while Chippewas drop to 6-18 overall and 3-10 in MAC play.
Redshirt freshman middle hitter Kate Norris (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) connected on all five attack attempts and Miami put down 5.0 blocks as a team in the first game to lift the RedHawks to the 30-25 Game One win. Sophomore middle hitter Lauren Slusser (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove) teamed up with senior outside hitters Angie Zent (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) and Tara Buroker (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) on respective back-to-back blocks to give Miami a 23-16 lead. The Chippewas, however, rattled off six straight points to pull within one of the RedHawks, 22-23. The teams went back and forth until kills by freshman outside hitter Jeanna Staun (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) and Norris pushed the RedHawk lead to 28-24. Another Norris kill put Miami at game point, 29-25, and a kill by freshman middle hitter Carli Reihman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) iced the game for the RedHawks, 30-25.
After a 7-7 tie in the second game, Miami went on an 8-1 run, highlighted by a pair of Zent kills, to seize a 15-8 lead. With the RedHawks holding a 19-12 lead, CMU staged a 7-3 spurt, with help from two Meghan Moore kills, to pull within three of the RedHawks, 19-22. A 6-0 RedHawk run put Miami at a 28-20 advantage, and kills by Slusser and Buroker handed Miami the second game, 30-21. The RedHawks hit a sizzling .412 in the second game to the Chippewas' .054 hitting percentage.
Central Michigan jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead in the third game off a pair of Jesse Miller kills and a block by Miller and Melanie Klein. A kill by Staun finally put Miami on the board. With CMU leading 8-2, Miami went on an 8-0 surge, aided by a pair of blocks by the Slusser/Zent tandem, to post a 10-8 lead. A service ace by junior setter Suzy Wolford (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) put Miami at an 18-12 advantage, but CMU battled its way back to within two of the RedHawks, 16-18. With Miami leading two, 25-23, Miami went on a 5-1 spurt to end the game with a 30-24 win.
Reihman and Buroker each notched double-doubles for the RedHawks with Reihman tallying 10 kills and 14 digs and Buroker amassing 10 kills and 12 digs. Reihman also posted five blocks and hit .444, while Buroker tallied three blocks. Slusser led all players with six blocks for the second straight night, while Zent added five blocks.
Central Michigan was led by Moore and Klein, who each had 10 kills.
The RedHawks hit the road next weekend, traveling to Buffalo for a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Nov. 5 and to Akron for a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday, Nov. 6.
