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The Falcons will return to the court on Friday (Dec. 6) to face TCU in the second round of the NIVC with a 7 p.m. first serve at the Stroh Center.
Central Michigan 1, South Dakota 3
Box Score
VERMILLION, S.D. – The Central Michigan volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Thursday as the Chippewas fell to South Dakota in four sets in a first-round National Invitational Volleyball Championship game at Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
The Coyotes (28-2) downed the Chippewas, 20-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-19 to advance to the second round where it will play UNLV on Friday.
The Chippewas finished 21-9, the program's highest win total since 2007 and captured its first Mid-American Conference West Division title since 2003.
CMU finished with a .105 attack percentage, its second-lowest mark of the season.
Anna Erickson and Savannah Thompson led CMU with nine kills apiece. Setters Kendall Braate and Grace Butler finished with a combined 31 assists, and libero Megan Kern, the lone Chippewa senior to play on Thursday, posted 28 digs.
Thompson and Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez had three aces apiece.
"We fought really hard and put it on the line against a really strong South Dakota team," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "I was really impressed with our preparation and thought we battled for our seniors. Meg Kern was exceptional in her final game in maroon and gold. It's a disappointing way to end the 2019 campaign, but we are really proud of the progress we've made as a program."
Miami 2, TCU 3
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Miami University volleyball team nearly overcame a big blocking effort by TCU in the first round of the NIVC on Thursday, but the Horned Frogs captured the final five points of the fifth set as the RedHawks fell 2-3 (25-27, 25-23, 14-25, 25-18, 12-15). Miami finishes its season at 17-12, while TCU advances to the second round of the NIVC.
The RedHawks were able to build a big lead in several of the sets, but the Horned Frogs used their blockers up front to help them get back in the match. TCU finished with 18 total blocks, which was a season-high against Miami.
Senior middle hitter Margaret Payne put forth an amazing effort in her final match. She matched a career-high by putting down 20 kills. She had a .326 attack percentage and also recorded five block assists.
The RedHawks tried to overcome the TCU block with a strong defensive presence. Miami finished with 96 digs as it held the Horned Frogs to a .171 attack percentage. Junior libero Abigail Huser led the way with 27 digs, while senior outside hitter Taylor Daignault had 21.
The match started off well as junior setter Morgan Seaman recorded a service ace to begin set one. Kills by Payne and Daiganult helped Miami establish a 5-0 lead. The Horned Frogs began to battle back, but a pair of kills from sophomore outside hitter Gaby Harper kept the RedHawks in front. Trailing 8-14, TCU went on a 7-1 run to tie the score at 15. Tied at 16, a kill from Harper and one from junior right side hitter Avarie Powell off an assist from sophomore setter Louise Comerford gave Miami an 18-16 advantage. The Horned Frogs answered with a 6-3 run to take their first lead of the set at 22-21.The RedHawks fought right back with two Payne kills off Seaman assists. However, TCU scored two in a row to get set point. Miami fought it off by forcing the Horned Frogs into an attack error. Tied at 25, two straight points for TCU allowed it to squeak away with a 27-25 victory.
Set two had a very similar start as two kills each from Payne and Harper, along with kills from Daignault, Powell and senior middle hitter Haley Stewartput Miami up, 8-3. The 'Hawks kept the pressure on as TCU had to use both of its timeouts early, the second after a Huser service ace made it 13-5. Just like the previous set, the Horned Frogs were able to turn things around by going on a 13-3 run to take an 18-16 advantage. They seemingly scored the next point, but a key challenge by head coach Carolyn Condit overturned the call and pulled the RedHawks to within one. A block by Stewart and Powell, followed by a service ace from Harper put Miami on top, 21-19. The teams traded side outs from there, allowing the RedHawks to earn a 25-23 win and send the match to intermission squared at one.
The Red and White did not get off to the same start in set three that they had in the previous two sets. Kills from Stewart and Harper kept Miami within two at 4-6, but a 9-2 run by the Horned Frogs put them in control at 15-6. Payne and Harper had two kills apiece as the RedHawks cut the deficit to six at 11-17, but TCU closed on an 8-3 run to take a 25-14 win.
Two kills from Payne and a service ace by freshman outside hitter Allyson Severance helped Miami open up a 4-1 lead in set four. The Horned Frogs fought back, eventually taking a 12-10 lead. With their back against the wall, the RedHawks recaptured momentum. Two kills and two blocks from Payne and two service aces by Daignault were part of seven straight that made it 17-12. Miami would not let TCU get any closer than four points the rest of the way, as back-to-back kills from Daignault and Payne finished off a 25-18 victory and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
Despite an opening service ace from Seaman, the Horned Frogs took a 5-3 lead to begin set five. Kills by Powell and Payne were part of four straight for the RedHawks to give them a two-point advantage. TCU closed to within one at 8-7 before back-to-back kills from Powell gave Miami its largest lead of the set at 10-7. Trailing 10-12, two straight by the Horned Frogs tied the score and forced a RedHawk timeout. Out of the break, TCU kept the run going with three more in a row to finish off a 15-12 victory and win the match in five sets.
Harper finished with a double-double of 15 kills and 17 digs. Daignault also had a double-double, adding 12 kills to go with those 21 digs. Seaman joined the double-double group with 33 assists and 14 digs.
The RedHawks conclude the regular season having captured four straight Mid-American Conference regular season championships for the first time since 1995-98. The senior class of Payne, Daignault, Stewart, Lindsay Dauch and Emma Leahy leave having gone 87-37 in the past four years with a 53-11 record in MAC play.
