Eagles Victorious in Final Match at Spartan Invitational

EAST LANSING, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team finished the 2013 Spartan Invitational on a winning note, knocking off Duqesne University in four sets. The Eagles (10-5) were able to win the first two frames, before the Dukes (5-7) nabbed set three. EMU, however, grabbed the last set with relative ease to cruise to its 10th win of the season. After stellar play throughout the weekend, Megan Crawshaw (Mattawan, Mich.-Mattawan) and Erin Short (Orrville, Ohio-Orrville) each were named to the 2013 Spartan Invitational All-Tournament Team.

Jill Briner (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park and River Forest (Northeastern)) stole the show for the Eagles, picking up career-highs in kills (12) and assists (26). The junior transfer had a .500 hitting percentage, going 12-for-24 in her attempts without making an error, along with two service aces in the match. Stacey Perinar (Channahon, Ill.-Minooka Community) added 16 kills, while Shorttoaled 10 kills, with just two errors in 22 attempts. Alyssa Davis (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Plainwell) led the Green and White in assists with 27, while Kelsey Jones (Reed City, Mich.-Reed City) went 9-for-18 in her attack attempts with just one error, good for a .444 hitting percentage. As a team, EMU hit .265 with 61 kills in 162 attempts, making 18 errors throughout the match.

Defensively, Crawshaw had seven blocks assists, while Short added six of her own. Briner was strong at the net with four block assists and Jones had a solo block to go along with three assisted blocks. Corynne Smith (Norwalk, Ohio-St. Paul) led the team in digs with 18 and Paige Roback (Maumee, Ohio-Notre Dame Academy) picked up 13 of her own.

Briner's offense in the opening frame propeled the Eagles to a one set lead. Briner went 6-of-8 in her attack attempts, good for a .750 hitting percentage. The junior also added a pair of service aces and five assists. As a team, the Green and White hit an astounding .424, making just three attack errors in 33 attempts. Perinar posted a .500 attack percentage with five kills in eight attempts, while making one error in the 25-22 set win.

Briner continued her stellar play in frame number two as the Eagles took a two set lead after a 25-21 victory. The Oak Park, Ill. native added three more kills to her total, while picking up five assists and a block. The multi-dimensional athlete hit 3-for-4 in the set to keep her .750 attack percentage in tact. Perinar added another four more kills in the frame, while Short went 3-for-7 in attacks, good for a .429 percentage.

Duquesne got the best of Eastern, 22-25, in set three as the Eagles stumbled offensively in the frame. EMU hit just .091 in the set, while the Dukes boasted a .200 attack percentage. Arielle Love was the catalyst on Duquesne's side of the net, posting five kills and a .571 hitting percentage.

Eastern rebounded in the final set of the match, hitting an astonishing .406, with 15 kills in 32 attempts. The Eagles made just two attack errors and had a total of four blocks in the fram. Crawshaw went 3-of-4 in attack attempts, while Perinar added four more kills to her total. Briner, Jones, Roback and Short each contributed a pair of kills in the match deciding set. EMU took down the Dukes with ease in the final frame, 25-17.

Eastern begins Mid-American Conference play Friday, Sept. 27, when it hosts Ball State University. The Eagles and Cardinals will meet at the Convocation Center for a 7 p.m. tilt.

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Team Stats

Stacey Perinar

Jill Briner

Erin Short

Kelsey Jones

Eastern Michigan Athletics