Atchison, Kan. – The Central Methodist University volleyball team; whom are currently receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, defeated the Benedictine College Ravens on their Homecoming Weekend, by a final of 3-1 on Friday evening in Atchison, Kansas. Final scores were: 28-26, 25-20, 20-25, and 25-10.
With the victory, the Eagles improve to 35-4 overall and remain in first place in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with a record of 11-1. With the loss, Benedictine College falls to 8-18 overall and 3-9 in The Heart.
"The girls played well in a tough environment," said CMU head volleyball coach Allison Jones-Olson. "Benedictine gave us a great fight and fed off their big crowd. It was a good win for us."
The first set Friday evening was as close as can be. Central and Benedictine battled it out the entire set, with both teams finish with similar number of attacks and errors. The key to the first set was the hitting percentage, with Central Methodist outhitting the Ravens 15% to zero. CMU won the first set in extras, 28-26.
The second set was similar to the first, with both teams finishing with similar stats. Central was able to pull away late, with a 9-6 run to defeat Benedictine 25-20, to claim a 2-0 lead in the match.
Benedictine responded in the third set with their backs to the wall. The Ravens outscored CMU 7-0 to end the third set and won 25-20 to force a fourth set.
In the fourth set, the Eagles meant business and looked to close the Ravens out on their home floor. CMU outhit the Ravens 51% to just 6%, and did not commit a single error. Central would go on to route the Ravens 25-10, to seal the three sets to one victory over Benedictine College.
In the win, the Eagles were led by Marina Alves (SO/Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and Madison Bond (JR/Jefferson City, Mo.) whom both finished with 11 kills each. Caitlin Petty (SO/Leopold, Mo.) once again led CMU with 37 assists, and Erin Dodd (SR/Pittsburg, Ill.) led the squad with 20 digs.
The Eagles close out the regular season this Tuesday in Olathe, Kansas, against 13th ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University. Tuesday's match will be a battle for the #1 seed in the Heart of America Athletic Conference postseason tournament, and is scheduled to begin at 7pm.
For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit http://www.cmueagles.com. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles.
