MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – The Miami University volleyball team completed a perfect road trip with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-17, 25-20) win over Central Michigan on Saturday. The RedHawks improve to 12-8 overall and 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference after their third straight victory. The Chippewas fall to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in the MAC.
Miami used quick starts in each set and a strong blocking attack in the front to secure the victory. The RedHawks recorded 10 blocks in only three sets on Saturday, a day after recording 8.5 blocks in three sets at Eastern Michigan. Sophomore middle hitter Paige Hill (1 solo and 4 assisted) and Annie Reiswig (5 assisted) led MU with five blocks each.
It could not have started any better for the RedHawks as they scored the first eight points of set one. Miami eventually pushed the advantage to 10-1. During the run Hill recorded three blocks, while Reiswig had two kills. Senior right side hitter Sarah Chaney put down a couple of kills, but Central Michigan slowly pulled closer, eventually making it an eight-point deficit at 7-15. From there, the Chippewas went on a 9-2 run to close to within one at 16-17. Miami fought right back as a kill and a service ace from senior setter/right side hitter Meg Riley were part of a 4-0 run that made it 21-16.
CMU answered with a 5-2 run that closed it to within one at 22-23, but a service error by the Chippewas gave Miami set point. Central Michigan responded by fighting it off with three straight points of its own to take a 25-24 lead and give itself its own set point. Riley fought that off with a kill off an assist from sophomore setter Krista Brakauskas. A block by Hill and Reiswig gave the RedHawks the lead back, while a kill from Reiswig finished off a 27-25 win.
Two kills from redshirt junior middle hitter Jenny Ingle helped Miami open up an 8-3 advantage in set two. Ingle kept up the pressure with two more kills as the ‘Hawks eventually pushed the advantage to seven at 17-10. In front 18-12, a kill from Ingle and two CMU attack errors gave Miami its largest lead at 21-12. That proved to be more than enough as two kills from Hill put the finishing touches on a 25-17 victory.
It was more of the same in set three as two kills from Ingle, along with kills from Hill and Reiswig helped the RedHawks jump to a 9-2 lead. A service ace by freshman libero Maeve McDonald, along with blocks from Chaney and Riley were part of an 8-5 run that gave MU a 17-7 advantage. Central Michigan began to chip away as it answered with a 9-3 run that closed it to within four at 16-20. With the score 21-17, back-to-back kills from Reiswig and Chaney put the set out of reach. Sophomore outside hitter Maris Below recorded the final kill to give Miami a 25-20 victory and finish off the straight set win.
Ingle led the way with eight kills and a .571 attack percentage. Chaney also had eight kills, while Reiswig had seven and Hill finished with six. Riley had a double-double with 16 assists and 13 digs. Miami hit .207 for the match, and held CMU to a .156 attack percentage.
The RedHawks begin a stretch of five consecutive matches at Millett Hall when they host Toledo on Thursday at 7 p.m.
