Volleyball Bows Out of Evansville Invitational with Loss to Central Michigan

Saturday, September 13

Evansville, Ind.

4:00 PM

DePaul University

Central Michigan

Volleyball Bows Out of Evansville Invitational with Loss to Central Michigan

9/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Sept. 13, 2014

Box Score: Central Michigan 3, DePaul 1

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The DePaul volleyball team ended the Evansville Invitational with a four-set loss (25-21, 25-21, 20-25, 25-17) to Central Michigan. The Blue Demons fall to 2-7 overall while the Chippewas improve to the same record at 2-7.

Junior Saige Gallop led the offense for the seventh time in nine games with 21 kills. Gallop also added five digs and an ace.

Fellow third-year player Colleen Smith netted her second-straight double-double with 23 assists and 11 digs.

Sophomore Randi Leath had a solid, all-around game with five kills, five digs, three blocks and two assists.

As a team, the Blue Demons matched a season-best with eight service aces. Freshman Haley Bueser set a team-high with three aces.

DePaul marked a season-high with 58 digs against Central Michigan, besting its previous total of 57 against UIC earlier this season.

The Chippewas had three players reach double-digit kills, marking the second straight game the Blue Demons have surrendered that feat. Jordan Bueter landed 17 kills to mark a team-high, while Kaitlyn McIntyre was close behind with 14 kills. Angelique White completed the trio of Chippewas to reach double figures with 10 of her own.

Central Michigan opened the match with a 6-2 run. A kill from Caitlyn Coffey capped a 5-2 response from DePaul, getting the Blue Demons within one. The Chippewas flexed their muscles and pulled ahead by as many as six, eventually winning the set, 25-21. Rachel Breault landed four kills to pace DePaul in the opening frame.

The second stanza was a back-and-forth affair with the score leveling nine times. Central Michigan started with a 7-4 run before DePaul tied the score at 8 with a 4-1 run of its own capped by a kill from Leath. Both teams went point-for-point before the Chippewas eventually took a three-point lead at the 21-18 mark. Central Michigan extended the margin to four when it took the second frame, 25-21.

After being down by two sets, DePaul responded well out of the locker room surging to a 14-10 lead. The Blue Demons never trailed in the frame and took the third set, 25-20. Gallop led DePaul with nine kills in the set. Myah Reed chipped in with three kills in the final four points.

The Chippewas came out on fire in the fourth set as DePaul spotted Central Michigan a 5-0 lead. The Blue Demons got to within two, but the Chippewas used two separate 5-1 runs to win the final frame, 25-17. Central Michigan landed three service aces in the fourth set en route to its second win of the season.

The Blue Demons have six days off before traveling to University Park, Pa. for the Penn State Alumni Classic, Sept. 19-20. DePaul is slated to face No. 3 Penn State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Blue Demons then square off with in-state foe Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. before tangling with East Carolina at 1 p.m.

Notes: Central Michigan notched its first program win against DePaul on SaturdayÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ the Blue Demons still lead the overall series, 3-1Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ With her 23 assists and 11 digs, Colleen Smith recorded her fourth career double-double and fourth in the last six matchesÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Kelsey Horvath set career-highs in assists (12), digs (eight), attacks (six), kills (two) and aces (one)Ã¢â‚¬Â¦ JaQuayla Baker matched a career-best with five block assistsÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Saige Gallop reached the 20-kill plateau for the third time this seasonÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ Haley Bueser set a career-high with 10 digsÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ DePaul's four-match losing streak is the longest of its kind since closing out the 2013 season with five straight losses.