<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3GhBwQ_0vkGjiZB00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3GhBwQ_0vkGjiZB00" width="1884" height="1060" ></figure><h2>Story Links</h2>THIS WEEK: The RedHawks begin conference play by hosting the Central Michigan Chippewas in a pair of home matches this week. The dates of the matches are set for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Each match will be streamed on ESPN+.ABOUT CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Mike Gawlik is currently in his ninth season as the head coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas. He holds a 122-119 record overall as a head coach. Prior to the start of the 2024 season, Central Michigan was selected to finish seventh overall in the MAC Volleyball Coaches Poll. So far this year, the Chippewas are 9-3, most recently going 2-1 at the Four Twelve Project Volleyball Invitational, where they faced off with Canisius (W, 3-0), Duquesne (W, 3-1) and Robert Morris (L, 1-3). Central Michigan ranks first in the MAC (and in the top 20 in the nation) in multiple statistical categories. The Chippewas are eighth in the country in team kills (663) and stand at ninth in the country in team assists (613). They also hold the 11th spot in the nation in team digs and have held their opponents to a 0.147 hitting percentage, which ranks 19th among all schools. Numerous Chippewas lead the MAC in various statistical categories. Abby Olin ranks fourth with a .343 hitting percentage and sixth in blocks per set (1.00). Hannah Langton currently claims the third spot in digs per set (4.73) and Allie Korba sits at ninth in assists per set (5.92).The all-time series is 40-28-1 in favor of Miami. The last time Miami took on the Chippewas, the RedHawks fell 0-3 on Oct. 28, 2023. TELEVISION: Each match will be available to stream on ESPN+. UP NEXT: The Red and White continue conference play by traveling to Eastern Michigan on Oct. 4-5.ACE SHOW: The RedHawks enter this week's matches ranked fourth in the nation in aces per set (2.31) and 21st in team service aces (90). Miami also leads the Mid-American Conference in service aces per set with three RedHawks who rank in the top 10 of the MAC. Ana Vetter (16 total) and Hayden Hicks (13) lead Miami with an average of 0.41 aces per set. Ellie Hanson follows closely behind, totaling 0.39 aces per set (15 total). MAC LEADERS: Gentry Warrick currently ranks 29th nationally and first in the MAC in blocks per set (1.38). She also finds herself at 42nd in the country and second in the MAC in total blocks (54). Warrick also ranks ninth in the MAC in hitting percentage (.273). Hayden Hicks has recorded 7.91 assists per set (fourth in the MAC) and Anna McClure has totaled 4.05 digs per set which puts her at sixth overall in the MAC. GROEN FAMILY MCDONALD'S INVITATIONAL: The Miami University volleyball team most recently dropped a three-set match (25-21, 25-21, 25-14) to Northern Kentucky last Saturday evening and captured a three-set victory (25-17, 25-21, 25-19) over Xavier on Friday night. In Miami's victory over the Musketeers, Ava Francis led all players with 14 kills, and Sophie Crawford recorded 36 assists to lead each team. Gentry Warrick brought it on the defensive end for the RedHawks, totaling a match-high seven blocks.POPCORN CLASSIC: Miami went 1-2 at the Popcorn Classic (hosted by Valparaiso). The RedHawks were defeated by Valparaiso and Cornell in three sets. Miami topped Purdue Fort Wayne in a three-set match. Freshman setter Sophie Crawford was named to the All-Tournament Team. Crawford led the RedHawks with 8.28 assists per set and added three digs per set as well.DUNN HOSPITALITY TOURNAMENT: The Red and White dropped two of its matches at the Dunn Hospitality Tournament in five sets to Samford and Chicago State. The RedHawks answered by topping Evansville in a four-set match (25-20, 25-12, 22-25, 25-22) on Saturday evening to close out the tournament. Freshman opposite hitter Ana Vetter led all RedHawks with a career-high 16 kills, and Raegan Lantz added 12 of her own. Hayden Hicks produced a season-high 43 assists, and Gentry Warrick recorded the most service aces of her career (four).NORFOLK STATE INVITATIONAL: The Red and White won the Norfolk State Invitational last weekend after going 3-0. Miami took a 3-0 season-opening win against Lamar University, swept Gardner-Webb 3-0 and secured a 3-1 victory over tournament host Norfolk State. Redshirt junior outside hitter Ava Francis was named the Norfolk State Tournament MVP. She finished with 33 kills, an average of 3.30 per set, and also contributed four blocks. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by redshirt sophomore libero Anna McClure, who totaled 41 digs (4.10 per set) and added nine assists. STRONG RETURNS: The Red and White return 12 of 15 players from the 2023 season. Seniors Caroline Cermack, Margo Lawson and Gracie Norris lead a solid veteran group. They are joined by juniors Ellie Hanson, Hayden Hicks, Emily Morgan and Gentry Warrick. The sophomore class is comprised of Raegan Lantz, Breannah Peterson and Chelsea Williams. Also returning is redshirt-junior Brooke Jackson and redshirt-sophomore Amyah Cooper.FRESH ON THE SCENE: First-year head coach Dan Gwitt prepares for the 2024 season with three new assistant coaches, Kristina Fultz, Amanda Chamberlain and Haley Davidson. Nine newcomers will be joining the Miami roster as well. These RedHawks include Sophie Crawford, Ava Francis, Karina May, Anna McClure, Tate Mercer, Lydia Michelin, Ana Vetter, Jess Walkenhorst and Micah Wall.FINDING THEIR FIT: Two of this season's newcomers that will be counted on to make an immediate impact for Gwitt's first Miami team are Power Five transfers: Ava Francis and Anna McClure. Both players join the RedHawks with multiple years of eligibility remaining (two for Francis and three for McClure) and have bought in right away to Gwitt's vision for the program. To learn more about their story, click here!THE RAEGAN LANTZ STORY: Raegan Lantz knows exactly when she decided she wanted to play volleyball in college. However, getting to this point hasn't been easy for Lantz. That's because her eighth-grade year wasn't just when she decided to pursue a future in collegiate volleyball. Eighth grade was also when Lantz started battling Type 1 diabetes. To learn more about Raegan's story, click here!GWITT GEARING UP FOR DEBUT SEASON: When the fifth head coach in Miami Volleyball history met his players for the first time in early February to introduce himself, it didn't take long for the RedHawks to get to work. And while it's been a whirlwind for Gwitt since day one, including finalizing a roster, hiring assistant coaches, updating the locker room, building a culture and finishing a schedule, he is ecstatic about where things stand for the program heading into his first season at the helm. Check out the feature story here!SPECIAL PROGRAM, SPECIAL PLACE: Dan Gwitt was ready to take the next step. After a journey in volleyball that's included playing at Penn State, serving as the youngest Division I head coach in the country at Centenary, excelling as a recruiter and assistant at Indiana and then most recently returning to his alma mater for the past two seasons, Gwitt felt it was time to move on from Happy Valley and be a college head coach again if the right job opened up. Miami University was the perfect opportunity. To catch up on his decision to become the next head coach of the Miami Volleyball team, click here!GWITT ERA: Miami University Director of Athletics David Sayler announced Dan Gwitt as the fifth head coach in Miami Volleyball history. Gwitt comes to Oxford after serving the past two years as an assistant coach at Penn State, his alma mater. Gwitt was part of back-to-back trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2022 and 2023 and helped sign a top-10 recruiting class in each of his two years on Penn State's staff. The Nittany Lions produced a total of seven All-Big Ten players and two AVCA All-Americans during Gwitt's tenure, finishing with a win-loss record of 49-17 over that span. Gwitt spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana. In his first season with the Hoosiers, the team's defense improved in total blocks from 277th in the nation to 15th and improved its conference record by six wins from the previous campaign. Gwitt coached two All-Big Ten players and also helped ink the top recruiting class in program history, including IU's first-ever Under Armour All-Americans. Gwitt began his coaching career at Centenary College, which was then a Division I program in the Summit League. Gwitt became Centenary's interim head coach in 2007, making him the youngest Division I head coach in the country at the time. He spent three seasons with the Pride, coaching more than 70 matches by the age of 24. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Gwitt served as the director of operations and master coach for two of the largest and most successful clubs in Southern California between 2009 and 2018. He took multiple teams to the Open Division for the Girls Junior National Championships. All of those teams finished in the Division 1 SCVA rankings, including a 17s team that finished as the top ranked team in the SCVA. Originally hailing from Eden, New York, Gwitt graduated from Penn State in 2007 with a degree in communication arts and sciences. During his time as a member of the men's volleyball team under the guidance of current head coach Mark Pavlik, he helped the Nittany Lions clinch the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Championship and make a memorable trip to the NCAA Final Four.MIAMI BY THE NUMBERS906 All-Time Wins401 All-Time MAC Wins14 NCAA/NIVC Postseason Appearances12 Regular-Season MAC Titles12 RedHawk Returners7 MAC Tournament Titles9 RedHawk Newcomers5 Head Coaches All-Time</div></body>

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RedHawks Host CMU to Start Conference Play

THIS WEEK: The RedHawks begin conference play by hosting the Central Michigan Chippewas in a pair of home matches this week. The dates of the matches are set for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Each match will be streamed on ESPN+. ABOUT CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Mike...