Central Michigan volleyball concluded its road slate with two losses against Akron. The Chippewas are now 0-27 overall and 0-14 in Mid-American Conference play with two games remaining in the season.
After falling 25-7 in its first set against the Zips, Central Michigan closed the gap for the next two sets.
The Chippewas fell 25-17 in the second, then 25-19 in the third to finish the match.
The first set began with a 9-0 run by Akron, a deficit too deep for the Chippewas to overcome.
Central Michigan was not ready to surrender in the third set, as it took the lead 10-7 and battled back-and-forth with Akron for most of the set. The Zips, however, found their rhythm after tying the set at 17 and completed the sweep.
Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Cripe led the Chippewas on the offensive end with 10 kills, her 18th game in double figures this season.
Freshman middle blocker Brenna Storz followed with seven kills and freshman outside hitter Alexis Carper had four.
Storz was efficient in the middle slot, charting a .357 hitting percentage.
Cripe, Carper and sophomore defensive specialist Cecilia Bustamante each picked up an ace.
Sophomore Brytn Lyon took over at setter recording 14 assists. She also assisted on four blocks, while Storz got her hand on three.
Carper picked up seven digs in the matchup.
The Chippewas were swept the following day once again, but forced Akron to extra points in the final set.
Cripe tallied 20 kills in this match, with 10 of them coming in just the first set.
Once again, Central Michigan’s best performance came in the third set. After trailing by seven late in the set, the Chippewas went on a 7-0 run to tie it up at 22.
Back-to-back Cripe kills and a service ace from Lyon put the exclamation point on the run, then the two teams battled back and forth.
Ultimately, an Akron kill and service ace gave the Zips this one, 26-24.
Sophomore right side Karla Sanchez-George added seven kills for the Chippewas and hit .400.
Lyon charted 23 assists and led CMU on defense with six digs. Junior middle blocker Teyhlor Thomas had three kills and three blocks, one of which was solo.
The Chippewas return home for two games against Toledo and Western Michigan. Central Michigan plays the Rockets on Friday at 6:30 p.m., before hosting the Broncos on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in its season finale.
