Eagles Sweep Bearcats at Spartan Invitational

EAST LANSING, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team knocked off American Athletic Conference foe, the University of Cincinnati, Saturday, Sept. 21, at the 2013 Spartan Invitational. The Eagles (9-5) took the match with ease topping the Bearcats (0-12) in straight sets, 25-20, 25-19 and 25-18.

The Eagles offense was dominant throughout the match, with 41 kills in 97 attack attempts. EMU made just 13 errors in the three set victory, good for a .289 attack percentage. Megan Crawshaw (Mattawan, Mich.-Mattawan) led the Green and White on the offensive, posting a .529 hitting percentage with 10 kills and one error in 17 attempts. Paige Roback (Maumee, Ohio-Notre Dame Academy) was a close second in kill total, with nine, while Kelsey Jones (Reed City, Mich.-Reed City) notched eight kills in 11 attempts with just one error, hitting .636. Erin Short (Orrville, Ohio-Orrville) added seven kills, while Jill Briner (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park and River Forest (Northeastern)) was very steady offensively. The transfer notched a team-best 18 assists, while posting a .444 attack percentage with six kills.

On the defensive side of the net, Eastern was led again by Crawshaw. The junior was in on all five of EMU's blocks, picking up five block assists. Short added four and Briner had the final block assist. Corynne Smith (Norwalk, Ohio-St. Paul) led EMU with 11 digs, while Sierra Reed (Muncie, Ind.-Wapahani) added seven.

EMU used defense to take the opening set, 25-20. The Eagles held Cincinnati to a .040 (8-7-25) attack percentage, with 10 digs against the Bearcats. Offensively, the Green and White hit .273 (14-5-33). Crawshaw was a force in the frame, going 4-1-7 in her attack attempts. Her four kills led the set for either team, while Short notched a .750 hitting percentage, going 3-of-4 in her attempts.

The Eagles jumped on top by two sets after a 25-19 decision in the second frame. Again, Crawshaw provided the majority of the offensive output with four more kills. Briner and Jones each contributed three kills, including a perfect 3-for-3 performance from Briner. Jones hit 3-of-4, good for a .750 attack percentage. As a team, EMU hit just .176 (12-6-34), but held the Bearcats to a .000 attack percentage, with just seven kills.

EMU cruised to the three set victory Saturday when it hit .433 in the final set and kept the Cincinnati offense at bay, with a .071 attack percentage. The 25-18 third set win was led by Roback who notched six of her kills in that frame alone. Jones and Short each added a trio of kills in the frame. Briner added seven of her 18 assists in the third set.

The Green and White complete its trek to East Lansing Saturday evening, Sept. 21, when they take on Duquesne for a 5 p.m. tilt. The Eagles and Dukes will be the second to last match to take place in the 2013 Spartan Invitational at Jenison Field House.

Next Event

Team Stats

Megan Crawshaw

Paige Roback

Kelsey Jones

Erin Short

Eastern Michigan Athletics