Volleyball heads to MAC tournament for the first time in 5 years

Last season, the Miami University RedHawks women’s volleyball team won two games in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. Those two wins came nine matches apart from each other, and Miami ranked 10th in conference standings.

This year, the No. 6 RedHawks punched their ticket to the MAC tournament for the first time since 2020. They first face the University of Toledo Rockets on Nov. 21.

“It’s something that I’ve been dreaming about since coming here,” senior setter Hayden Hicks said. “I committed when they had been winning the MAC for four years in a row. [It’s] just so special to me, especially to do it with this group. I feel like this is the closest I’ve ever been to any team I’ve been on. It just means everything.”

With a 16-14 (10-8) record, Miami also finished the regular season above .500 for the first time in six years. The team’s success this year is no surprise head coach Dan Gwitt, who is now in year two with the program.

“For me as a coach, this was the game plan,” Gwitt said. “It’s not to sound arrogant, but I knew if I was tough on this team and brought in the right kids, and we stuck to the game plan and kept punching, we would get here … In my mind, that’s part of being a good coach: You have to make your team believe that they can do it as well.”

The RedHawks began MAC play with an even 6-6 record in their non-conference slate. In 2024, they won two games against MAC opponents, going on a seven-game and a nine-game losing streak at two separate points in the year.

One year later, Miami produced a 10-8 record in the MAC. This stretch included a five-game winning streak at the end of the regular season. The RedHawks dropped their final match against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles, but their first win in that series clinched their spot in the tournament this year.

Freshman middle hitter Lindy Radaszewski said she credits this run to a switch that the team made in the middle of the season. After dropping three games in a row, the RedHawks realized something needed to change.

“After that third game, we sat down [and] had a conversation after the loss,” Radaszewski said. “‘We know this isn’t us, and we can do a lot better than this. We could have turned some of those losses into wins … but we decided as a team that we needed to switch it. It’s time to go. There’s no more dilly-dallying around. This isn’t who we are.’”

Following a 0-2 series against Ohio University, Miami finished the season with a 7-4 run, including two series sweeps against Bowling Green State University and Central Michigan University. One more win against Eastern Michigan cemented the RedHawks’ spot in the MAC tournament.

Miami’s first match in the tournament will be against Toledo, whom the RedHawks went 1-1 against during the regular season.

Both teams were neck-and-neck in the first meeting on Oct. 24. The RedHawks took the first set 27-25 and the third set 25-23 after the Rockets had evened the score. Toledo forced a fifth set after winning the fourth set 25-22. Miami fought back from a 9-6 deficit to take the final set 15-11.

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The following night, the RedHawks were not as successful, dropping the match 3-1. The Rockets took the first, second and fourth sets enroute to a victory that secured the series split.

“We didn’t play our best against them either night,” Hicks said. “We pulled out a win that first night, and I think it came down to will over skill. We wanted it more, and I thought we made a lot of errors, but at the end of the day, we stuck together and played tough.”

Miami’s group this year is led by freshman outside hitter Molly Creech, who has 372.5 total points and 325 kills in her first season. Hicks’ 581 assists leads the team, with sophomore setter Kamryn Utley not far behind at 562.

On the other side of the net, the Rockets are led by sophomore middle blocker Sierra Pertzborn, who has amassed 360.5 points. Sophomore outside hitter Olivia Heitkamp leads Toledo with 311 kills this season.

Gwitt said that the RedHawks have improved significantly since October, and that the Rockets are mostly the same in comparison.

“We’re a different team than we were a month and a half ago when we went [to Toledo],” Gwitt said. “I don’t think they’re that much different. That’s the difference. I think we’ve gotten better, and we’ve made some moves. They’re kind of a similar version of what we saw a month and a half ago, and I hope my team uses that as fuel … I think we’re very capable of winning this match against a team that’s pretty good.”

Should the RedHawks prevail, their next contest would be on Nov. 22 against the No. 1 Ball State University Cardinals. Ball State finished with an impressive 17-1 record in MAC play, including two 3-0 sweeps against the RedHawks.

But first, Miami needs to win the rematch against Toledo. The RedHawks making this year’s MAC tournament is a big step forward for the new era of the program, but the players and the coaching staff know the job isn’t finished.

“It’s really big for the future of the program,” Radaszewski said. “Taking this and kickstarting the rest of my four years here with going to the MAC tournament is huge. It brings a lot of hope and excitement for what’s going to come.”

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