Eagles Down Golden Grizzlies 3-0

EMU vs. Oakland Highlights

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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team came away with a clean sweep over nearby foe Oakland University, Wednesday, Sept. 10, taking the match 25-22, 25-18, and 25-23. This marks the fourth victory of the season for the Eagles (4-4) and was the first win of the 2013 campaign within the confines of the Convocation Center.

Multiple Eagles proved to be offensive leaders in the three-set victory. Sophomore outside hitter Stacey Perinar (Channahon, Ill.-Minooka Community) led in kills with nine as junior middle blocker Megan Crawshaw (Mattawan, Mich.-Mattawan) blasted eight out of 20 swings for a solid .400 hitting percentage while recording three block assists. Rounding out the middle blockers was redshirt sophomore Kelsey Jones (Reed City, Mich.-Reed City), who hit .556 to accompany her five kills and led the Green and White in blocks with five block assists.

Perinar, Crawshaw, and junior setter/outside hitter Jill Briner (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park and River Forest (Northeastern)) each added three block assists to the effort. Briner came away from the matchup with a terrifically rounded performance, adding seven kills at a .333 clip, two service aces, and dished out a match-high 25 assists.

Defensively, sophomore libero Corynne Smith (Norwalk, Ohio-St. Paul) led the team with 24 digs while senior outside hitter Paige Roback (Maumee, Ohio-Notre Dame Academy) added 11 scoops. Smith's 8.0 digs per set is a career high for a single match.

The first set started off as a back-and-forth battle between the Golden Grizzlies (4-4) until the Eagles were able to run away with the lead after a kill by Crawshaw got the wheels turning for the Green and White offense. After gaining a 7-3 lead over the Grizzlies, the Eagles kept a comfortable cushion over their opponent until a late-set effort by Oakland at 18-13 knotted the contest up at 20-20.

Perinar and Jones answered back to the Grizzlies with a resounding stuff block on Oakland's Jessica Dood. Another block by the sophomore duo secured the lead at 23-21. Briner closed out the set by ripping a jump serve down the court, capping the set at 25-22.

Set two gave early favor to the Eagles, as a kill by Roback and another Briner serve took EMU to a 3-0 lead. After battling at the pins with a couple of quick kills from the middles sprinkled in for good measure, EMU found itself with a 24-15 lead over the Grizzlies. Oakland was able to peg a few more points before Perinar took command of the game flow and drove a kill home for a 25-18 win in the frame.

A balanced offense and tenacious defense was the key to a commanding lead in the third set, quickly bringing the Eagles to a 19-9 edge over the Grizzlies, but Oakland's Amanda Baker fired off two winners in a row to start another late run for the opposition. In the following 16 points, Eastern committed five unforced errors with a mere two kills to Oakland's one error and five kills, which ultimately brought the Grizzlies up to a 22-22 face-off with the Eagles.

Crawshaw, Perinar, and Roback each added a kill in the resulting three-point game to close out the set and match for the Eagles as they came away with their first home victory of the 2013 campaign.

The Eagles will travel to the East Coast for a tournament at Brown University before returning home Tuesday, Sept. 17 when they will square off against the IPFW Mastodons. The home contest will begin at 7 p.m. and will be available for viewing on Eagle All-Access.

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Team Stats

Stacey Perinar

Megan Crawshaw

Erin Short

Jill Briner

Eastern Michigan Athletics