The Mavericks were tested on the second day of the Oredigger Classic compared to Friday where they only lost one set.
The Mavericks went 1-1 on Saturday, losing to Northern State University in a three-set sweep but then beat Dallas Baptist University 3-1. Seniors Camille Smith and Kasie Gilfert led the team in kills on both days, as Smith had 29 kills and Gilfert had 28 kills.
The first set against NSU was competitive as CMU managed to match the Wolves offense for the first half of the match and traded points for a while. The Mavericks were persistent but couldn’t find a weak spot in the Wolves defense. The Mavericks lost the set 19-25, and they didn’t respond well going into the second set as NSU completely dominated the set winning 25-13.
In the third set, the Mavericks bounced back a little, but still lost the set 18-25 as the Wolves were able to string a couple of multi-point runs to help them win the match. CMU’s hitting percentage was an abysmal 18.9 percent compared to NSU’s 43.2 percent.
Dave Fleming’s squad was able to brush off their tough loss and bounce back and beat Dallas Baptist University. The Patriots were able to score the first two points of the first set, but the Mavericks answered back time and time again until they took control to win the first set 25-22. Gilfert and Smith were both able to get back into the groove offensively to help propel their team to the early lead in the game.
The second set CMU and DBU traded points, but the Mavericks went on two long runs to take control of the set and win emphatically 25-14. The offense got big contributions from setters Ara Norwood and Samantha Ritter as they gave their pin players clean balls that added up to CMU’s 61 total kills. The Patriots bounced back and won the third set 25-22 to stay alive but they wouldn’t last though as CMU regained the momentum and won the final set 25-15.
CMU’s hitting percentage improved significantly to 22 percent in the second game.
The next game with be Thursday, Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. against No. 18 Drury University in the Drury Tournament.
