EMU Completes Home Season With Senior Day this Weekend

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - After dropping a pair of Mid-American Conference matches last weekend, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team looks to right the ship in the upcoming weekend when they make a push to earn a spot in the top-eight of the MAC. The Eagles are 4-8 in conference play heading into matches with Western Michigan University and Northern Illinois University this weekend, Nov. 8-9. The Green and White will hit the hardwood Friday, Nov. 8, for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Broncos before welcoming the Huskies into the Convocation Center the following night for another 7 p.m. matchup. Eastern Michigan is looking for revenge in both matches as the Eagles fell in both earlier this season against the Broncos and Huskies back in October.

ON THE HORIZON: After this weekend's competition, the Eagles head out onto the road for their final two matches of the 2013 regular season. EMU will travel to Central Michigan University Thursday, Nov. 14, for a 7 p.m. matchup. Following the match in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Eastern will head to Kent, Ohio for an evening tilt with the Kent State University Golden Flashes at 7p.m.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE OPPONENTS: EMU has played in 124 matches combined against this week's opponents.

The Eagles will host Western Michigan Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. The match in Kalamazoo, Mich. natives will be the 77th time these two teams have seen each other on the court. Western holds a 56-20 advantage over Eastern in the all-time series, picking up a four set win in their last matchup earlier this season, Oct. 5.

The Eagles' will then play host to Northern Illinois on the following evening, Nov. 9, for another 7 p.m. match. The MAC West Division member Huskies hold a slight, 27-21, edge over the Green and White. The last time these two teams squared off, the Huskies got the best of EMU with a four set win, Oct. 4.

TROUBLE WRANGLING THE BRONCOS: Eastern Michigan has had a hard time keeping the Broncos in the stable as of late. WMU has knocked off the Green and White in six straight matches dating back to Oct. 8, 2010. Actually, the Eagles have only taken four sets from the Broncos since they defeated Western Michigan in five sets in 2010.

In the last 10 matches, Eastern has only won one time. Those last 10 tilts date back to Nov. 16, 2007 and the Green and White have not completed a season sweep of the Broncos since the 2005 season when the Eagles went 14-2 in MAC matches, while winning the MAC West title.

WANTING TO BE LUCKY NUMBER 13: Senior Erin Short is closing in on becoming the 13th player in EMU volleyball history to record 1,000 kills this season. The Orrville, Ohio native is just 14 kills shy of the 1,000 mark heading into the final four matches of the regular season. The outside hitter needs to average just under four kills per match to surpass the 1,000 marker. She is averaging 2.28 kills per set this season, which, if playing only three sets per match, Short would end her career with 1,013 kills.

SHORT FIRST TO THIS DISTINCTION: Senior Erin Short is looking to become the fifth Eagle in the history of the program to amass 1,000 kills and 300 block assists. She is just 14 kills and seven block assists shy of earning that feat. In the history of the EMU program, only four other student-athletes have accomplished this, but each were middle blockers. Short will become the first outside hitter to earn the distinction.

MAKING HER RETURN: After an eye injury, redshirt-sophomore Kelsey Jones was sidelined from Sept. 28 until the Eagles match with Toledo, Nov. 1. Jones appeared in just one set against the Rockets, while also playing in one set at Ball State.

IF IT STARTED TODAY: Heading into the final weekends of the 2013 Mid-American Conference season, the Eagles, like the rest of the conference is jockeying for position and trying to nab one of the top-eight records in the conference to earn a trip to the 2013 MAC Volleyball Tournament in Geneva, Ohio at the SPIRE Institution.

If the season ended today, the Eagles would be on the outside looking into the tournament. Currently with a 4-8 record, the Green and White has the ninth-best record in the conference. However, with four matches remaining on the schedule for Eastern, the Eagles are just one match back of Central Michigan, while they sit two behind Kent State in the rankings. If all goes well, the Eagles could go as high as the fourth or fifth seed.

Currently, Ball State would be the first seed, followed by Ohio as the second. In third would be Toledo and fourth is Bowling Green. The fifth spot would be owned by Northern Illinois, sixth is Western Michigan, seventh is Kent State and Central Michigan would complete the eight team field.

SMITH'S STELLAR SEASON: Despite not leading the conference in digs, Corynne Smith is posting 5.30 digs per set to this point. If the Eagles were to play just three sets per match through the rest of the 2013 regular season and if her average held true, she would total 605 digs. That number would surpass Kim Jarzynka for the fourth-most in a single season at Eastern Michigan. Haley Stein holds the single season record with 757 in the 2010 season.

NEAR THE TOP OF THE MAC, AS USUAL: Over the last few years, EMU has been near the top of the Mid-American Conference in digs and this season is no different. The Eagles are currently leading the league in total digs with 1,766. The next closest is Ball State who has notched just 1,595 in the same amount of sets, while the Green and White is currently posting 16.31 digs per set and Ball State is second in that category with 16.61 per game.

Corynne Smith is third in the conference with 5.30 digs per set, but is leading the conference in overall digs with 541. The leaders in the conference, Kelly Svoboda (Buffalo) and Jenna Coates (Central Michigan), are averaging 5.60 and 5.41 digs, respectively, but have accumulated 510 and 465.

IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The Eagles are not only leading the MAC in digs, but they are ranked in the top-50 nationally. EMU is 15th overall in digs per set with 17.31.

Individually, sophomore Corynne Smith is currently ranked 18th overall in the country in digs per set. The sophomore is averaging 5.30 digs in her first season starting at libero for the Green and White.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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