Eagles Split Between Home and the Road for Two MAC Contests

vs. Central Michigan: Live Stats/Video

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is in the middle of its grueling 2014 Mid-American Conference schedule and has gotten on a roll since losing three-straight. The Eagles (14-10, 5-5 MAC) are in the midst of a three-match winning streak. The Green and White will welcome Central Michigan University and travel to Ohio University this weekend for a pair of MAC contests.

The Eagles and Chippewas (9-13, 4-6 MAC) will tangle Thursday, Oct. 30, at the EMU Convocation Center at 7 p.m. The Green and White is looking for revenge after dropping a four-set match at McGuirk Arena earlier this season. Following its match with the Chips, Eastern will travel to Athens, Ohio for a match with the Bobcats (17-4, 10-0 MAC) in hopes to hand OU its first MAC loss of the 2014 campaign Saturday, Nov. 1.

WHERE DO THEY RANK: After three weekends of Mid-American Conference play, the Eagles are currently ranked sixth in the MAC at 5-5.

CHIP DIP: It will be the 80th matchup in volleyball history between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan Thursday, Oct. 30. The Eagles trail in the all-time series 24-55, but EMU and the Chippewas have been neck and neck the last eight seasons, with EMU trailing at an 8-9 record. The Green and White dropped the last meeting, 1-3, when it traveled to McGuirk Arena, Sept. 25.

This season, Central Michigan is 9-13 and 4-6 in the MAC. The Chippewas are led by their 2013 First Team All-MAC award winner, Kaitlyn McIntyre. McIntyre tops the CMU charts with 246 kills, good for 3.19 per frame, while Kylie Copple is the setter for CMU, posting an average of 9.59 assists per game. Defensively, Angelique White has been a force at the net for the Chips, stuffing the opposition 1.16 times per frame, which is tied for the best in the MAC. Finally, Kristen Reenders' 4.71 dig average ranks second in the conference as well. She has totaled 396 digs this season.

BREAKING DOWN THE BOBCATS: Ohio has continued to cruise in Mid-American Conference play, dating back to the 2013 campaign. Including the 2013 MAC Tournament, the Bobcats have not dropped a match to a conference institution since Oct. 19, 2013. Over that span, OU has won 21-straight against MAC foes. EMU dropped their last meeting with Ohio in straight sets at the MAC Volleyball Tournament's Championship match.

The Bobcats host the Eagles, Nov. 1, and the Eagles hope the Halloween candy slows them down. OU is 10-0 in MAC play, led by Kelly Lamberti who posts 4.10 kills and 3.04 digs per set. Her kill mark ranks third in the conference, while she's also third in the MAC in service aces at 0.39 per frame. Reigning MAC Player of the Year Abby Gilleland is the Bobcats' setter. She posts 10.31 assists per frame and Meredith Ashy leads the conference in digs at 4.94 per set from the libero position.

BRINER AND SMITH SWEEP MAC WEEKLY AWARDS: A pair of Eastern Michigan University volleyball players were honored by the Mid-American Conference Monday, Oct. 27. Junior setter Jill Briner was named the MAC West Offensive Player of the Week, while Corynne Smith recorded MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period ending Oct. 26. It was the first MAC weekly honor of the season for Briner and the second of her career, while Smith earned her third for the season and fifth of her career. It is also the second week in a row that Smith notched a weekly award from the MAC.

Briner led the Eastern Michigan offense in multiple ways last weekend as the Eagles went a perfect 2-0. Briner was a force at the net, totaling 17 kills as a setter, good for an average of 2.12 per frame. She hit at a .262 clip while also setting up the Green and White offense with 9.50 assists per set. Versus Buffalo, Oct. 24, the Oak Park, Ill. native had 11 kills and 42 assists, good for her third double-double, while she averaged 11.33 assists per set against Akron, Oct. 25, after totaling 34 in EMU's three-set win at James A. Rhodes Arena. In addition, the senior racked up a pair of service aces. Along with her strong offensive play, Briner averaged 2.50 digs per set after posting 12 digs against Buffalo and eight versus Akron.

Smith was the rock defensively for EMU, averaging 5.38 digs per frame through the Green and White's two conference victories last week. The Norwalk, Ohio native compiled 43 digs, including 21 in the Eagles' sweep of the Zips, which was good for seven digs per set. The junior libero made just one reception error in 25 attempts which was good for a .960 reception percentage, including a perfect 13-for-13 against Buffalo, Oct. 24. In addition, Smith added seven assists in EMU's weekend sweep over MAC East opponents.

LOOKING AHEAD: This season's Mid-American Conference Volleyball Tournament will be held at the Ohio University Convocation Center. According to the league rules, the previous season's tournament winner will host the following season's tournament. Currently, Ohio (10-0) would enter as the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Northern Illinois (9-1), No. 3 Miami (7-3), No. 4 Ball State (7-3), No. 5 Western Michigan (6-4), No. 6 Eastern Michigan (5-5), No. 7 Kent State (4-6) and No. 8 Buffalo (4-6).

STRAIGHT UP THE MIDDLE: Eastern's middle blockers have become a force for the Eagles on both offense and defense since beginning MAC play. In 10 conference tilts, the middles have provided nearly half of the Green and White's kills (45 percent). Additionally, the blockers, although its not surprise, have accounted for 68.2 percent of the Eagles' blocks. In total, the middle blockers have totaled 236 points, good for 46.1 percent of EMU's total in conference matches.

INCREASING HER AVERAGE: Senior setter Jill Briner averaged just 6.84 assists per set last season, totaling 862 on the year. With her 825 assists this year, she has already racked up 95.7 percent of her total from the 2013 campaign and is averaging 9.07 assists per game, good for seventh in the MAC.

THE BACK-TO-BACK BEST: Eastern Michigan libero Corynne Smith has won the MAC West Weekly award for defensive player of the week in back-to-back weeks. Despite averaging just 4.89 digs in MAC play, the Norwalk, Ohio native has just four reception errors in 200 attempts, good for a .980 reception percentage.

STOUT DEFENSIVE PLAY: As a team, the Eagles have held teams to a .1.83 attack percentage MAC matches. That number ranks fourth in the MAC. Eastern is completing that feat averaging just 2.05 blocks and 16.24 digs per frame, adjusting attack attempts and forcing opponent errors.

IN MAC PLAY...: Eastern has been known as one of the top squads on the defensive side of the net in the Mid-American Conference and this season has been no different. In MAC contests EMU leads the conference in digs with 665 overall, good for a 17.50 per set average. With leading the league in digs, comes holding teams to a low hitting percentage. The Eagles are second in the MAC with a .183 opponent attack percentage.

Individually, Stacey Perinar ranks seventh in kills at 3.21 per set, while she is 10th in aces at 0.29 per frame. Jill Briner posts 9.08 assists per set, which is good for ninth and Megan Crawshaw's 1.03 blocks per set is good to tie for fifth in the MAC. Finally, Corynne Smith posts 4.89 digs per set in MAC play. That number ranks fourth among libero's in the conference.

RESPECT FOR SMITH: After posting a .957 reception percentage and proving to be one of the best defensive players in the MAC during the 2013 season, Corynne Smith has earned some respect amongst the Eagles' opponents. The Norwalk, Ohio native averaged 5.09 reception attempts per set last season. This season, it seems as though the opposition is veering away from the libero as she is averaging just 4.63 reception attempts per game. However, when she is targeted, the 5-foot-3 junior has been stout, making just 10 errors in 430 attempts, good for a reception percentage of .977.

BLOCK BOOKS: Eastern senior middle blocker Megan Crawshaw has proven to be a force at the net defensively. In her first three seasons, Crawshaw recorded 278 block assists which ranked eighth in EMU's all-time records. This season, Crawshaw has recorded 82 block assists, ranking her second all-time in Eastern laurels with 355 block assists. She trails Eastern's leader Jill Hutton by 47. At her current average, Crawshaw needs to play in 50 more sets through the rest of the season to catch Hutton at her current pace.

CLOSING IN ON 400: Head coach Kim Berrington is in her 19th season at Eastern Michigan and her 22nd overall as a collegiate volleyball coach. With that being said, the former South Carolina student-athlete has racked up 386 career wins including her time as the head coach at Concordia (Mich.).

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Players Mentioned

Jill Briner

Megan Crawshaw

Stacey Perinar

Corynne Smith

Eastern Michigan Athletics