MOUNT PLEASANT - Sophomore Kaitlyn McIntyre and junior Kelly Maxwell put on a show offensively Friday night as Central Michigan swept Toledo inside McGuirk Arena, 25-23, 25-19, 25-23.
McIntyre finished the night with a match-high 17 kills, just four off the CMU record for a three-set match, and Maxwell dished out 46 assists, orchestrating an offense that hit .298 as a team with 52 kills.
The Chippewas improved to 14-12 overall and 8-7 in the MAC with the win, while the Rockets fell to 8-20 overall and 2-13 in conference play with the loss.
The offense was clicking from the start as the Chippewas hit .442 in set one behind nine kills from McIntyre in the 25-23 win. The sophomore slammed home her fourth kill of the set to give CMU a 13-9 lead and force a UT timeout only to come back with three more kills on the Chippewas' next three points out of the timeout to push the lead to four, 16-12. Toledo was able to pull back into the set behind a heavy offensive attack of its own and had a chance to tie things up facing set point, but a service error on Jordan Kielty gave CMU the win.
The second set featured a more balanced attack for the Maroon and Gold with sophomore Hallie Enderle and senior Val DeWeerd each knocking down four kills, while junior Danielle Gotham and senior Lindsey Dulude each had three.
The Chippewas used a 6-1 run late in the set to turn claim a seven-point lead, 21-14. DeWeerd kept the lead at seven with a kill and after a pair of kills allowed the Rockets to keep the set alive, Enderle gave sent the Chippewas to the locker room with a two-set advantage with the set-winning kill.
McIntyre was back in charge after the break, tallying seven kills in the third set as the Chippewas came from behind to earn the sweep. A McIntyre kill broke a 15-15 tie late in the set and an attacking error by the Rockets forced them to use a timeout. McIntyre followed with two more kills out of the timeout but UT would not go away without a fight.
The Rockets grabbed the lead late, 20-19, but CMU promptly reclaimed the lead on a kill from Gotham and a pair of Rocket errors. DeWeerd gave Central set point, 24-23, and an ace by senior Samantha Brawley sealed the deal for the Chippewas.
Dulude and DeWeerd, playing in their second-to-last match in McGuirk Arena, chipped in with 11 and nine kills, respectively, while junior Jenna Coates had a team-high 13 digs in the backcourt.
CMU closes the MAC regular season with senior night tomorrow versus Ball State. The Chippewas are still vying for positioning in the upcoming MAC Tournament and can finish as the No. 6 seed with a win and Eastern Michigan loss to the Rockets tomorrow night.
