UC Irvine Snaps Four-Match Win Streak, Downing EMU 3-1

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team saw its four-match winning streak come to an end at the hands of the University of California-Irvine Thursday night, Sept. 18, at the Convocation Center. The Eagles (7-3) took the first set before the Anteaters (7-4) rattled off the final three games for a 19-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-23 decision.

Junior Stacey Perinar (Channahon, Ill.-Minooka Community) led EMU with 17 kills, while Katie Krasowski (Oak Lawn, Ill.-Marist) and Kelsey Jones (Reed City, Mich.-Reed City) recorded double-digit kills of 13 and 12, respectively. Perinar added 10 digs to complete another double-double night. Setter Jill Briner (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park and River Forest-Northeastern) also contributed with nine kills and 39 assists. As a team, Eastern posted a .232 attacking percentage throughout the contest.

Defensively, the Eagles saw its squad come up with a season-best 10 total blocks. Megan Crawshaw (Mattawan, Mich.-Mattawan) led the way with four block assists and one solo stuff, while Krawsowski came away with five block assists of her own. In addition, Briner posted four block assists and 11 digs, while Natalie Folk (Saline, Mich.-Saline) picked up a match-high 20 digs, while Corynne Smith (Norwalk, Ohio-St. Paul) notched 19 of her own.

Marisa Bubica notched 25 kills, tied for the 13-th most in Covocation Center history, to pace the Anteaters. Cassidy Pickrell followed with 20 kills and registered 17 digs for a double-double as UC Irvine attacked at a rate of .269 behind 40 assists from Emily Blair.

Game one started off back-and-fourth with UC Irvine clinging to a one-point lead, 10-9. However, the Eagles made the largest run of the set with six of the next seven points to claim a 13-10 advantage. Briner factored in all four points, tallying a pair of kills to go along with an assist and a block. The Green and White built its lead from that point, increasing the margin to seven and forcing the Anteaters to call a timeout with the score in favor of Eastern, 22-15. Nonetheless, the timeout was too late for UC Irvine as EMU captured the first set, 25-19.

Perinar posted a team-high five kills in the opening set, while Briner added 12 assists and four kills of her own for an impressive .800 attacking percentage. Krasowski and Jones pitched in three kills apiece as Head Coach Kim Berrington's squad began the contest with a .324 attacking percentage. On the other side of the net, Marisa Bubica and Cassidy Pickrell paced the Anteaters' offense with five and four kills, respectively.

Similar to the first game, set two started off with a one-point difference after the first 19 scores. This time, it was UC Irvine who took control of the set by going up 16-11. The lead increased to six, 20-14, forcing Coach Berrington to call her second timeout of the set as the Anteaters inched closer to evening up the match. UC Irvine's advantage grew to a 25-17 game two victory with each team claiming one set.

Stats were nearly flip-flopped from the first game as UC Irvine attacked at a .333 percentage behind six kills each from Bubica and Pickrell. For EMU, Perinar once again led all Eagles with three kills in the set. As a team, Eastern posted a .188 attacking percentage.
Coming out of the break, UC Irvine took an early 6-5 lead before Eastern answered with five straight points to hold a four-point cushion, 10-6, prompting an Anteaters' timeout.

The Eagles managed to increase the lead to six, 18-12, before the visitors battled back within a single point at 21-20 to force a timeout from Coach Berrington. Eastern continued to hold the slight advantage, 23-22, but it was UC Irvine who took three-straight points for the 25-23 game three win.

UC Irvine had a slightly better attacking percentage than EMU in set three at .288 while the Eagles posted a .240 attack percentage. Bubica added another six kills in the set for the Anteaters, while Krasowski matched her opposition with six as well. Jones recorded four kills in the set and Briner pitched in with a dozen assists.

The Eagles found themselves trailing by two in the fourth game, but a kill, an ace along with a block assist flipped the score in favor of the Green and White, 11-10. Following the next 21 points played by the teams, the set stood at a 21-21 standstill with Eastern needing four points to continue the match. After two points by the Anteaters, the Eagles responded with a pair of points to knot the game at 23. However, UC Irvine collected the final two points to win the set and the match.

The Eagles will remain in Washtenaw County for their final tournament of the 2014 non-conference season. EMU will head to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the Michigan Invitational where it will take on Kansas State, Youngstown State and Michigan, Sept. 19-20. Eastern will square off against the Wildcats at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, before battling the Penguins later that evening with a first serve set for 5 p.m.

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Team Stats

Stacey Perinar

Katie Krasowski

Kelsey Jones

Jill Briner

Players Mentioned

Jill Briner

Megan Crawshaw

Natalie Folk

Kelsey Jones

Katie Krasowski

Stacey Perinar

Corynne Smith

Players Mentioned

Jill Briner

Megan Crawshaw

Natalie Folk

Kelsey Jones

Katie Krasowski

Stacey Perinar

Corynne Smith

Eastern Michigan Athletics