Eastern Michigan Athletics
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Volleyball's Rally Comes Up Short Versus SIU-Edwardsville
9/5/2008 4:31:36 PM | Volleyball
The Eagles rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force the fifth set, but the Cougars took the finale
EAST PEORIA, Ill.— Despite a valiant come-from-behind effort, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team dropped a heart-breaking 3-2 decision (20-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 16-18) to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Friday afternoon, Sept. 5, in the opener of the Wingate by Wyndham Invitational hosted by Bradley University. The match was played here at the Illinois Central College Gymnasium due to construction of the Braves’ new on-campus facility.
With the setback EMU falls to 1-3 on the young season, while SIUE improves to 2-1.
Four Eagles recorded double-digit kills, led by sophomore Jennifer Swartz (Canton, Mich.-Westland John Glenn) who hit a team-best .353 with 14 kills. Senior Hayvolla Leite (Paraiba, Brazil-Indian Hills CC) notched 12 kills on the afternoon, while junior Victoria Randolph (Cincinnati, Ohio-Mount Notre Dame) and senior Jill Wolosiansky (Uniontown, Ohio-Green) added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Freshman Ashley Mason (East Lake, Ohio-Lake Catholic) picked up another double-double, finishing with 43 set assists and 17 digs.
For SIUE, Diane Schmidlin recorded a career-high six service aces and 25 digs. The Cougar libero was the leader as SIUE finished with 10 service aces and 111 digs. Samantha Schulte was the key element for SIUE’s offensive attack, hitting .410 against the Eagles. Fellow middle hitter Kelsey Hubert hit .250 and was second on the team in kills with 11.
The Cougars took an early lead in the opening set, leading 4-0, before a kill from Randolph put Eastern on the board. SIUE continued to gain momentum before the Eagles were able to put together a four-point run to climb back within one, 11-10. EMU would come to within two points, 20-18, but SIUE would never relinquish the lead to win, 25-20.
The Green and Whites opened up the second set on a 3-0 run. However, the Cougars would climbed back to knot the score at 3-3 and then eventually take the lead. EMU came within a pair at 10-8, and then made it a one-point deficit, 12-11. But the Cougars were able to take the set with a 25-23 victory.
In a 0-2 hole, the third set saw the Green and White open on a 6-2 run, and continued to widen the gap, going on a 6-to-3 run. The Cougars would not fade, though, coming within two, 16-14. An attack error by SIUE sparked a 4-0 run to give the Eagles the six-point edge, 21-15. EMU closed out the third set 25-19 after two Cougar errors, forcing a fourth set.
The Eagles went on a 4-2 run to open the fourth set, followed by a seven-point run before the Cougars could get another point on the board. The two teams went back and forth over the next few plays. The Eagles held of a Cougar comeback late in the set to close it out, 25-19.
In the finale, SIUE was able to minimize their mistakes with six kills to just three errors compared to nine kills and eight errors by EMU. With the set still tied at 15, the two sides would need extra points to decide the winner. Despite being tied at 16-16, was SIUE took the final two points of the contest when setter Mallory Clements connected with her eighth kill of the match. Clements and Hubert then teamed up to successfully block Randolph attack for the victory.
The EMU volleyball returns to action later tonight, Sept. 5, versus the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the defending Horizon League champions. First serve is schedule for 9 p.m. EST.
