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The Miami University volleyball team is now in a three-way tie for first place in the MAC East division.
A loss Thursday to Bowling Green State University (BGSU) followed by Saturday's victory over Northern Illinois University moved the 'Hawks to 9-3 in the MAC and atop the Eastern Division standings with BGSU and Ohio University.
Miami has been looking to regain its swagger after last week's loss to Ball State University that ended a seven-game winning streak. Thursday's loss gave the RedHawks their first in-conference losing streak, which they snapped Saturday against the Huskies. Miami has been without senior leader Emily Schroeder, who leads the team in kills. With Schroeder out of the lineup, head coach Carolyn Condit has been forced to mix and match to find continuity that has worked so well for the team throughout the season.
"We lost Emily Schroeder, who is a great player for our program, and we needed to acclimate our lineup without her," Condit said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't do it right away. This is the third lineup I've tried, and I think we are coming together without her and playing very well now. It just took us two games to experiment with that."
Freshman Cassie Farrell filled a key piece to the Schroeder-less puzzle Saturday. Farrell, who was awarded Player of the Game, took advantage of her opportunity at increased playing time, providing the team with nine kills and helped in 11.5 points. After the game, Farrell carried a tone of excitement and confidence in her voice when talking about her increased playing time.
"It was really fun getting out there and playing tonight because we had a different lineup," Farrell said. "This was my chance, so it feels good to play well and help the team."
Condit was more than pleased with the play of her young freshman.
"Cassie came in and did a great job," Condit said. "It was great to see her get Player of the Game. She is a very smart player, she just hasn't seen a lot of playing time. Now she's saying, 'Hey Coach, you better play me.'"
While new additions to the lineup played a crucial part in Miami's win, veteran leadership showed its importance in solidifying the core of the squad. Senior Andrea Atteberry, junior Mariah Leahy and junior Megan Griffin provided the 'Hawks with consistent play in the victory. Griffin, who had a personal season-high 16 kills and a .536 attack percentage, and Atteberry (50 assists), lead the team's offense. Leahy added 11 kills and bolstered the defense with 14 digs.
Griffin was quick to state the importance of playing with team chemistry.
"The offense was successful because we had defense," Griffin said. "The back row was awesome … we just flowed really well tonight."
The 'Hawks hope to have Schroeder back, as the team moves on to Athens to take on archrival Ohio University Friday evening.
"I'd like to think she'd be back for OU and Kent next weekend," Condit said, "but with a hamstring and a bad ankle, we are just waiting for the pain to subside."
Whether Schroeder makes it back into the lineup for the two big conference games this weekend, the 'Hawks are back in sync. This could not have come at a better time, as the MAC conference playoffs begin in late November.
