EMU Suffers 3-1 Setback at the Hands of Central Michigan

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University's volleyball team dropped its fifth-straight match Thursday, Nov. 5, when it traveled to Central Michigan University for a Mid-American Conference West Division match at McGuirk Arena. The Eagles (12-14, 4-9 MAC) fell in the first set, 27-25, before picking up set two, 25-22. The Chippewas (11-15, 6-7 MAC) responded grabbing the final two frames, 25-23, 25-21, to pick up their 11th win of the season.

Eastern Michigan's offense was led by Stacey Perinar (Channahon, Ill.-Minooka Community) who racked up 14 kills, while freshmen Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's Catholic Central) and Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) each recorded 11. Mallory Rajewski (Midland, Mich.-Midland) setup the Eagle offense with 38 assists. Defensively, Corynne Smith (Norwalk, Ohio-St. Paul) set a season-high with 37 digs, just one shy of her career-best. As a team, the Eagles managed just an .090 attack percentage, while Central posted a .185 clip.

The Eagles took CMU to extra points in the opening frame, 27-25, but fell after seeing the Chippewas hit at a .233 clip. Eastern's offense struggled as it had 10 errors and just 16 kills, while Central had just three errors in the opening frame. CMU's Jordan Bueter posted six kills with just one error on 18 attempts. On the other side of the net, Perinar picked up a team-high six digs, while Corynne Smith had five of her own.

The Green and White took the second set, 25-22, on the back of a stellar defensive performance by Corynne Smith. The senior from Norwalk, Ohio recorded an astounding 12 digs in the second set alone. Overall on the set, the Eagles held CMU to a .167 attack percentage, while Bueter had just two kills in the frame.

Set three was a tough offensively for the Green and White. EMU hit just .022 in the 25-23 setback. Corynne Smith put together another stellar set, notching 13 digs in the frame. Rajewski added 11 assists, while Perinar picked up five kills in the frame, but CMU's .182 attack percentage was too much for the Eagles to overcome.

Central continued their strong offensive output in set four, hitting .204 on its way to a 25-20 final frame victory. Smith continued to shine defensively with another seven digs, while Haut, Devon Murray (Shelby, Ohio-Shelby) and Jordan Smith each recorded three kills in the frame as the Green and White fell for the fifth consecutive match.

Eastern continues their road trip Saturday, Nov. 7, when it heads to Kent, Ohio for a match with the Golden Flashes. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center.

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Team Stats

Stacey Perinar

Jordan Smith

Cassie Haut

Devon Murray

Players Mentioned

Cassie Haut

Devon Murray

Stacey Perinar

Mallory Rajewski

Corynne Smith

Jordan Smith

Players Mentioned

Cassie Haut

Devon Murray

Stacey Perinar

Mallory Rajewski

Corynne Smith

Jordan Smith

Eastern Michigan Athletics