Eastern Slated for Three Matches at Northern Kentucky

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team continues the 2014 campaign on the road at the Northern Kentucky Volleyball Invitational held by Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Ky. The Eagles will play in three matches at the Regents Hall/Albright Health Center in just two days, Sept. 5-6.

EMU will open with SIU Edwardsville, Friday at 4 p.m. The Eagles then compete in a double dip on Saturday, first squaring off with Southern Conference foe, Samford, at 10 a.m. before hitting the hardwood against Northern Kentucky on Saturday evening for a 6:30 p.m. matchup.

EAGLES FINISH THUNDER INVITE 2-1: Eastern Michigan completed the opening weekend of the 2014 campaign with a 2-1 record. The Green and White first knocked off Marshall in a come from behind effort, Aug. 29. On Saturday, Aug. 30, the Eagles dropped a three-set match to Virginia before taking down Illinois-Chicago in five sets.

SPOTLIGHT ON SIU EDWARDSVILLE: Eastern opens up the Northern Kentucky Volleyball Invitational with SIU Edwardsville Friday, Sept. 5. The Eagles and Cougars have met on the hardwood just one time before. EMU fell, 1-2, in that match back on Oct. 14, 1980.

This season, SIUE is 2-2 after falling to California and Rutgers, while topping Winthrop and Air Force last weekend. Kristen Torre leads the Cougar offense by hitting .363 in four matches, while averaging 2.94 kills per set. Mallory Mangun has been setting up Edwardsville's offense, posting 151 assists in four matches, She is averaging 8.88 assists per set, in addition to hitting .341 from the setter position.

SIZING UP SAMFORD: Samford comes into the Saturday morning contest with a 2-1 record. The Eagles shut out both Georgia State and Jacksonville State before No. 16-ranked Michigan State knocked off the Bulldogs at the Alabama Birmingham/Samford Challenge in four sets.

Michaela Reesor has been the Bulldogs' offensive catalyst through the first weekend of action. Reesor is averaging 3.90 kills per frame, in addition to 4.05 points per set from the outside. Erika Pifer has shown her skills setting up the offense, averaging 11.11 assists per frame. She has recorded 100 assists through nine sets of action this year.

EXAMINING THE NORSE: Northern Kentucky comes into their tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, the best of any team in the invitational. The Norse won both of its contests at the Eagle Challenge in Morehead, Ky. and on Tuesday, Sept. 2, NKU dispatched Wright State in three sets. Eastern and the Norse have only met once prior to Saturday's contest. NKU won that match, 2-3, in a tournament hosted by Bradley, Sept. 5, 2008.

The Norse have been led by Julian Jayden through their first three matches of the year. The six-foot junior has tallied 36 kills, good for 3.60 per set, while hitting at a .338 clip. In addition, Taylor Snyder is averaging 10 assists per set, helping the Norse hit at a .251 clip as a team.

PERINAR EARNS FIRST-EVER MAC WEEKLY AWARD: Eastern Michigan University junior Stacey Perinar was named the Mid-American Conference West Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Aug. 31. The honor marks the first of Perinar's career.

The junior outside hitter was a force for the Eagles on both sides of the net this weekend at the 2014 Thunder Invitational. The Channahon, Ill. native posted 2.71 kills per set on the offensive end, including an 18-kill performance in the Eagles' five set victory over Marshall, Aug. 29. On the defensive side of the net, Perinar averaged 0.57 blocks per frame, while also picking up 3.79 digs per set. The junior notched a pair of double-doubles, posting 18 kills and 16 digs versus Marshall and also notching 11 kills and 12 digs against Illinois-Chicago, Aug. 30. Perinar posted a season-best 25 digs versus Virginia,Aug. 30, and totaled 53 digs and a .976 reception percentage with just two errors in 82 chances.

BRINER AND KRASOWSKI START THE YEAR RIGHT: Senior setter Jill Briner and redshirt junior middle blocker Katie Krasowski each produced successful starts to the 2014 campaign at last weekend's 2014 Thunder Invitational. For their efforts, both were named to the Thunder Invitational All-Tournament Team, while the Eagles went 2-1, falling to just Virginia.

BLOCK BOOKS: Eastern senior middle blocker Megan Crawshaw has proven to be a force at the net defensively. In three seasons, Crawshaw had recorded 278 block assists which ranked eighth in EMU's all-time records. After one weekend, Crawshaw recorded 10 block assists, putting her tied for seventh with Stacy Graham with 288 block assists. She trails Eastern's leader Jill Hutton by 114.

WELCOME BACK TO YPSILANTI: New Assistant Volleyball Coach Shayna Munson is no stranger to the Convocation Center and Ypsilanti, Mich. The Temperance, Mich. native was a part of the EMU program for four years from 2001-2004, two seasons as a student-athlete and two as a student assistant coach. In two seasons with EMU, Munson appeared in 63 matches and accumulated 644 kills, averaging 2.85 kills per frame. The Temperance Bedford graduate excelled from the service line averaging 0.24 aces per set, while she also posted 0.85 blocks per frame in her career.

NEW EAGLES LAND IN YPSI: The EMU volleyball squad has four new faces roaming the locker rooms in the Convocation Center this season. Between a trio of freshmen and one junior college transfer, the Green and White look for solid production out of its newest additions.

Head Coach Kim Berrington brings in Melva Smith from Suburban College in South Holland, Ill. Smith transferred from the junior college after earning NJCAA Second Team All-American honors. Smith was a First Team All-Region selection and led the nation in solo blocks, while ranking fourth in the country in total blocking and points, while ranking sixth in the NJCAA in kills.

Mallory Rajewski comes in as a setter from Midland, Mich. Rajewski missed her senior season due to an injury but racked up a number of accolades at Midland High School prior to being sidelined. Rajewski was a three-time All-Saginaw Valley League team member, including a pair of second team nods and a first team honor in her junior season. She was named to the all-state honorable mention list after she set a Midland High School record for assists. The setter played her club ball with the Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy and was a member of the first team to win a qualifier, while being ranked as high as 14th in the nation.

Jaclyn Ruffolo joins EMU as a preferred walk-on defensive specialist. The Farmington Hills, Mich. native attended Mercy High School and was a member of a three-time district champion team. In 2012, the Marlins won a regional championship, earning a spot in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Class A Quarterfinals. In her first season competing on the varsity squad, Ruffolo helped the Marlins to a Catholic High School League Championship.

Samantha Falco earned a spot with the Eagles after a successful career at Antioch Community High School. The 6-foot 4-inch middle/outside hitter was a varsity letterwinner in three seasons as a Sequoit. She was named to the Daily Herald's All-Area team following her junior and senior seasons, while earning All-North Suburban Conference honors as well. She earned Antioch's Best Teammate Award and Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of the 2012 season. In addition, Falco was an all-academic team member.

BRINER BROUGHT IT IN 2013: Senior setter/outside hitter Jill Briner showcased her versatility during the 2014 season after transferring from Northeastern in a multitude of ways. Briner appeared in all 34 matches, starting 29 of them. She led the team in assists (862) and aces (44). The Oak Park, Ill. native led the MAC in aces per set at 0.35 per frame. Briner posted five double-doubles and four triple-doubles, while averaging 1.27 kills, 6.84 assists, 0.35 aces, 2.20 digs, 0.35 blocks and 1.80 points per set on the season.

CATCH THE ACTION ON EAGLE ALL-ACCESS: For the fifth-consecutive year, the Eastern Michigan Athletic Media Relations Department will offer live broadcasts of each EMU volleyball match during the 2014 season. Chad Bush will be your play-by-play man, while Athletic Media Relations Graduate Assistant Chloe Smith will serve as the analyst.

All 10 home matches will be provided over the internet with both audio and video coverage. To subscribe to Eagle All-Access, head to EMUEagles.com/showcase. Subscriptions start at $6.95 for a 24-hour pass, $10.95 for an entire month and $79.95 for a full calendar year. The next scheduled broadcast is Sept. 9, when the Eagles square off with IPFW. The coverage will start at 6:50 p.m

BERRINGTON'S 19TH SEASON AT EMU: Head Coach Kim Berrington is entering her 19th season as head coach of the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team. The seventh coach in the program's history, Berrington became its winningest coach on Sept. 20, 2003, as the Eagles posted a victory over East Carolina in the Coastal Carolina Tournament. The victory was Berrington's 110th win at the helm of the EMU program. During her tenure as head coach at EMU, Berrington has posted an overall record of 269-260 and a 132-151 mark in conference play.

In 12 of the last 13 seasons, she has led the Eagles to the MAC Tournament, with the 1999 campaign marking the first time the squad played in the postseason event since the 1990 season. Her teams have also led the MAC in digs in eight of the last 13 seasons, ranking nationally in six of those campaigns, including last season when 17.49 digs per set was good for 30th in the NCAA.

EAGLES PICKED FOURTH IN MAC PRESEASON POLL: EMU was selected to finish fourth in the West Division of the 2014 Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Ball State was the league coaches' decision to finish first in the West, while Ohio was selected as the top team in the East.

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Players Mentioned

Jill Briner

Megan Crawshaw

Samantha Falco

Katie Krasowski

Stacey Perinar

Mallory Rajewski

Jaclyn Ruffolo

Melva Smith

Eastern Michigan Athletics