Eagles Back in Ypsilanti for a Pair of MAC West Battles

Volleyball vs. Ball State and Toledo
Date:	October 21 \| October 22
Location:	Ypsilanti, Mich. - Convocation Center
Weekly Notes:	EMU Notes
Live Stats:	EMU Live Stats
Watch Live:	vs. Ball State \| vs. Toledo

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After snapping a five-match losing streak with a 1-1 weekend on the road, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team will return to the Convocation Center this weekend, Oct. 28-29, for a pair of Mid-American Conference West Division competitions. Both matches will be held at unique times due to conflicting events.

The #MACtion continues Friday, Oct. 28, at noon when the Eagles (8-15, 3-7 MAC) welcome in Ball State University for a MAC West Battle at the Convo. The Cardinals (9-15, 5-5 MAC) come into the contest after dropping a three set match with Miami in Oxford, Ohio. Saturday, Oct. 29, will pit Eastern Michigan against the University of Toledo at 8 p.m. The Rockets (12-10, 5-5 MAC) return to action this weekend following a 3-1 setback to in-state rival Bowling Green State University.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS: After crossing the halfway point of Mid-American Conference play, the Eagles return home for a pair of MAC West matches at the Convocation Center. In all, the Green and White has met this weekend's opponents a total of 139 times, holding an 80-58 record against BSU and UT.

BATTLE OF THE BIRDS: The Green and White has not fared so well versus the Cardinals in the series history. In fact, Ball State holds a 46-25 edge over Eastern Michigan in the 71-match tally between the two. Despite their struggles versus BSU, the Eagles have won three of the last four contests between the two squads, including a victory last year in the last weekend of the season, 3-1, at Worthen Arena. Earlier this year, the Eagles dropped a 3-2 decision in Muncie, Sept. 24, on the first weekend of MAC play.

ROCKET SCIENTISTS: It appears that EMU has turned their success into a certain science against UT. The overall series stands at 55-13 in favor of EMU. Last season, Eastern continued to add to its lopsided stranglehold on the series tally by winning both matches between the two MAC West squads. Those victories included the last match of the 2015 campaign, when the Green and White secured a spot into the 2015 MAC Tournament, knocking off Toledo, 3-2, at Savage Arena. Additionally, the Green and White dropped Toledo in five sets, Sept. 23, to open up conference play this year.

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Eastern broke a five-match losing streak with a 1-1 record last weekend, Oct. 21-22. A match with Akron, Oct. 21, started out the weekend on the right foot, breaking that streak by cruising to a 3-0 win over the Zips. The Eagles, however, did not have quite the same success at Buffalo as the Bulls were able to step away from Alumni Arena with a five set victory over EMU, Oct. 22.

ROAD WOES: Like most teams in intercollegiate athletics, EMU has had much less success on the road. So far this season, the Eagles are 2-9 in true road matches. In the history of the program, the Green and White maintains a 184-267 overall record away from Ypsilanti. In addition to that number, Eastern Michigan holds just a 101-165 mark away from the Convo. Last year, EMU went 5-8 in true road matches.

COMFORTS OF THE CONVO: Since beginning play in 1976, Eastern Michigan has compiled a 227-168 record on their home court, highlighted by a 116-81 mark since moving to the Convocation Center in 1998.

WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY: EMU junior Samantha Falco has made her presence known at the net this year for Eastern Michigan. The Antioch, Ill. native has racked up 68 total blocks to lead the Eagles. In fact, the next closest EMU student-athlete has just 48. The 6-foot-4 blocker boasts an average of 0.93 blocks per set, good for ninth-best in the MAC.

Falco showed her skills at the net most recently in the Green and White's 3-2 setback at Buffalo, Oct. 22, when she grabbed 10 blocks in the match. That number marked the most blocks by an Eagle in a single match since Lindsay Piccolini managed that same total at Toledo, Oct. 21, 2005. The 10 block assists also marked the fourth-most by an EMU student-athlete in a single match.

RISING TO THE TOP: EMU's libero Alyssa LaFace has continued to improve since she took over the libero spot exclusively. Since the beginning of conference play, LaFace is averaging 4.50 digs per set. For the season, the Allen Park, Mich. native is posting 3.99 digs per set, good for the seventh-best mark in the Mid-American Conference. In addition, LaFace set a career-best with 25 digs on the road at Buffalo, Oct. 22.

AN EARLY LOOK AT THE MAC TOURNAMENT: The way things currently stand, the EMU volleyball team would be on the outside looking in for the 2016 MAC Volleyball Tournament. Just over halfway through the MAC season, the Eagles hold a 3-7 record, which is tied for eighth-best in the conference. However, the Green and White is tied with Central Michigan, who defeated EMU earlier this season. The Chippewas hold a tiebreaker over Eastern, putting the Eagles in ninth currently. Miami and Northern Illinois are tied for the top spot, while Ohio holds the third seed. Bowling Green is currently fourth, while Ball State, Toledo, and Kent State hold the fifth, sixth and seventh spots, respectively.

OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES: The Eastern Michigan offense has struggled so far this season. In fact, the squad ranks 10th in the conference in hitting percentage (.181), assists (11.29/set) and kills (12.07/set).

TAYLOR HAS TAKEN OVER: Although both freshman Riley Taylor and redshirt sophomore Mallory Rajewski have been starting matches as of late, Taylor has become the Green and White's main setter since starting Mid-American Conference play. Taylor is posting 31.7 assists per match and 7.55 assists per set. For the entire season, Taylor leads EMU with 427 assists, good for a 6.01 per set average.

ON THE HORIZON: After returning home for a pair of Mid-American Conference West Division matches this weekend, Oct. 28-29, the Eagles will hit the road again next weekend. EMU will take on Northern Illinois, Friday, Nov. 4, before traveling to Western Michigan, Saturday, Nov. 5. The Friday contest is set for 7 p.m. in DeKalb, Ill., while the Saturday matchup is slated for 8 p.m. in Kalamazoo, Mich.

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Players Mentioned

Samantha Falco

Alyssa LaFace

Mallory Rajewski

Riley Taylor

Eastern Michigan Athletics