2015 Rolls On as EMU Volleyball Heads to Indianapolis

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team will continue the inaugural season of first-year head coach Kimi Olson this weekend, Sept. 4-5, when the Eagles (2-1) travel to Indianapolis, Ind. to compete in the 2015 Hampton Inn Invitational, hosted by IUPUI. The Green and White will prepare for three matches over the weekend, including a contest with Big 12 foe West Virginia Friday, Sept. 4.

Eastern Michigan will prepare for its matchup with the Mountaineers (1-2) following their trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the Michigan Invitational. WVU first defeated Oakland, 3-2, before being swept by both George Washington and Michigan. EMU will then square off with both IUPUI and Charlotte Saturday, Sept. 5. The IUPUI Jaguars (1-2) come into the weekend after dropping a pair of matches against nationally ranked No. 15 Kentucky and No. 19 Michigan State. Their lone win comes against Arkansas-Little Rock. Charlotte is 2-1 after taking down UNC Asheville and Davidson.

A SUCCESSFUL START: Kimi Olson saw a successful start to her campaign as the head coach of the EMU volleyball program last weekend, Aug. 28-29. Olson's squad went 2-1 at the Queen City Classic and took home a share of the tournament championship after defeating both Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. Despite falling to Xavier, the Musketeers dropped a match to the Bearcats, allowing EMU to grab a piece of the tournament title.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE OPPONENTS: EMU has only played in three matches combined against this weekend's foes. Previously, the Eagles have only see IUPUI in action on the court.

The Green and White is 2-1 against the Jaguars in their all-time series. The last time these two squads squared off was nearly five years ago to the date. EMU knocked off IUPUI, 3-1, Sept. 4, 2010 in that year's version of the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational. It will be the first time that EMU faces off with both West Virginia and Charlotte.

SMITH EARNS MAC WEST DEFNSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Senior libero Corynne Smith earned her seventh-career MAC West Defensive Player of the Week award Monday, Sept. 1, following her strong showing at the Queen City Classic last weekend. After posting more than seven digs per set in the Green and White's opening 3-0 win versus Northern Kentucky, Smith didn't stop her strong play from the back. The Norwalk, Ohio native tallied 68 digs on the weekend, including a season-best 30 in the four set match with Xavier. Overall on the weekend, Smith averaged 6.80 digs per set, an average which would have led the MAC last season by nearly two digs per frame.

SMITH SETS HER SIGHTS ON HISTORY: After back-to-back seasons as one of the top libero's in the Mid-American Conference, Corynne Smith is looking to make a run at becoming the EMU all-time dig leader. The Norwalk, Ohio native is 638 digs shy of former Eagle Ashley Cudney's 2,266. During the 2013 season, Smith totaled 684 digs and will look to improve on her 581 from last season in hopes of becoming EMU's top libero of all-time.

IN SEARCH OF A SETTER: Following the first weekend of the 2015 campaign, it looks as though head coach Kimi Olson will be splitting time between her two setters, Alyssa Davis and Mallory Rajewski. After three matches, Davis has been the strarter at setter but Rajewski is getting plenty of reps in the rotations. Overall, Davis leads the Eagles with 62 assists on the young season, while Rajewski has totaled 45. Combined, the duo is posting 10.70 assists per frame.

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Players Mentioned

Alyssa Davis

Mallory Rajewski

Corynne Smith

Eastern Michigan Athletics