Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Bowling Green
Eagles Advance to Quarterfinal Round After 3-0 Win Over BGSU
11/16/2010 9:01:15 PM | Volleyball
No. 5 Eagles down No. 12 Falcons in MAC Tournament
Box score.
Re-Watch the Match.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The No. 5 Eastern Michigan University volleyball team was successful in its first round matchup of the Mid-American Conference Tournament against No. 12 Bowling Green State University, ousting the Falcons 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 28-26) at the Convocation Center Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Freshman Paige Roback (Maumee, Ohio-Notre Dame Academy) had a stellar, double-double performance, boasting 13 kills and 15 digs for the Green and White. Sophomore Rachel Iaquaniello (Plymouth, Mich.-Dearborn Divine Child) led the Eagles with 14 kills, while Ashley Mason (Eastlake, Ohio-Lake Catholic) contributed 40 assists in the contest.
The Eagles set the tone early in the first set, taking a quick 3-0 advantage over the Falcons after kills by Iaquaniello and Kristen Baker (Mentor, Ohio-Mentor). Bowling Green answered back with a kill from Paige Penrod, but EMU returned with three unanswered points to push ahead 6-1. The Falcons brought the score within four at 11-7, but Eastern Michigan maintained the lead throughout the rest of the set, closing it out, 25-20, with a kill by Iaquaniello.
Much like the first set, EMU jumped out to an early 13-3 lead after four straight serves by Mason resulted in EMU scores. The Falcons were unable to recover from the large deficit, finding themselves down by as much as 10 points. The Eagles captured the second set, 25-15.
The third set was a different story, as the teams exchanged the lead 15 times and tied the score on five different occasions in a true seesaw battle. Bowling Green was the first to strike, taking an early 3-1 lead over the Eagles. However, EMU quickly regained momentum after an Ianquaniello kill to knot the score at 5-5. The score continued to bounce back and forth, eventually landing at a 25-25 tie. The Green and White pulled ahead 26-25, but Bowling Green answered back with a kill by Penrod, but another kill by Ianquaniello and a Bowling Green attack error finalized the set and the match, giving Eastern the three set victory, 28-26.
Eastern Michigan will be back in quarterfinal round action Friday, Nov. 19, when the No. 5 Eagles take on the No. 4 Huskies of Northern Illinois at the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio. The match is scheduled for an 11 a.m. start.
