Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, November 11
Kent, Ohio
5 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
14-17, 7-9MAC
3
at
1
Kent State
5-22, 3-13MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan | 25 | 16 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Kent State | 22 | 25 | 15 | 17 | 1 |
EMU Volleyball Cruises to 3-1 Win at Kent State
11/11/2017 8:06:00 PM | Volleyball
The Eagles' win gives them a chance at a spot in the MAC Tournament
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Riding the play of its two seniors, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team traveled to Kent State University Saturday, Nov. 11 and upended the Golden Flashes in four sets (25-22, 16-25, 25-15, 25-17) at the M.A.C Center.
Senior Kelly Ferguson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) led the Eagles with 15 kills on 28 attacks with no errors for an attack percentage of .536. Fellow senior Samantha Falco (Antioch, Ill.-Antioch Community) did her damage on the defensive side of the ball, turning in nine total blocks including five solo tallies.
Eastern's Mid-American Conference Tournament hopes are still alive with Saturday's victory, and the Eagles will now wait for the result of the Toledo and Northern Illinois match (Saturday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m. ET) to find out its fate. A Toledo win would knock the Eagles out of the tournament. A Northern Illinois victory would put EMU, UT, and NIU in a three-way tie with records at 7-9 in the MAC, with Eastern owning the tie-breaker.
"I'm so proud of this team and their fight," said head coach Kimi Olson. "There backs were against the wall two weeks ago, and our seniors have done an amazing job of leading and getting us to this point. No matter how the season ends for us, there's a lot to be proud of."
For the second consecutive match, Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary Catholic Central) finished in double-digits in kills with 12. She also added eight digs and three total blocks. Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) had a double-double of 10 kills and 18 assists, while Mallory Rajewski (Midland, Mich.-Midland) finished with 42 assists, and Alyssa LaFace (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) led the Eagles with 21 digs.
EMU kicked off the match on a high note, narrowly coming out of a back-and-forth battle with a 25-22 win. Eastern hit .115 in the set overall, while Kent State hit at a .136 mark. Smith, Haut and Ferguson each registered four kills in the frame to give the Eagles the early advantage.
Set two was a completely different story, as Eastern registered just one block in the set and Kent State hit a blistering .324. The outcome was a resounding Golden Flashes' 25-16 win heading into the break.
After the recess, Eastern Michigan came out determined and re-established its dominance at the net. The Eagles doled out six blocks in the third set alone, with Falco knocking down two solos and also notching three block assists. EMU rolled to a 25-15 set victory to earn the advantage in the match.
The Eagles started the fourth out slow, but came back with a vengeance, scoring 11-of-13 points and coasting to a 25-17 set win. Ferguson was the catalyst of the offense, racking up five kills on seven attacks, while Falco had two solo blocks and LaFace put up seven digs.
In the end, the well-rounded effort put the Eagles in a position to make the MAC Tournament. Should they reach the postseason, EMU will play Thursday, Nov. 16 in Oxford, Ohio at the Miami University.
Senior Kelly Ferguson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) led the Eagles with 15 kills on 28 attacks with no errors for an attack percentage of .536. Fellow senior Samantha Falco (Antioch, Ill.-Antioch Community) did her damage on the defensive side of the ball, turning in nine total blocks including five solo tallies.
Eastern's Mid-American Conference Tournament hopes are still alive with Saturday's victory, and the Eagles will now wait for the result of the Toledo and Northern Illinois match (Saturday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m. ET) to find out its fate. A Toledo win would knock the Eagles out of the tournament. A Northern Illinois victory would put EMU, UT, and NIU in a three-way tie with records at 7-9 in the MAC, with Eastern owning the tie-breaker.
"I'm so proud of this team and their fight," said head coach Kimi Olson. "There backs were against the wall two weeks ago, and our seniors have done an amazing job of leading and getting us to this point. No matter how the season ends for us, there's a lot to be proud of."
For the second consecutive match, Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary Catholic Central) finished in double-digits in kills with 12. She also added eight digs and three total blocks. Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) had a double-double of 10 kills and 18 assists, while Mallory Rajewski (Midland, Mich.-Midland) finished with 42 assists, and Alyssa LaFace (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) led the Eagles with 21 digs.
EMU kicked off the match on a high note, narrowly coming out of a back-and-forth battle with a 25-22 win. Eastern hit .115 in the set overall, while Kent State hit at a .136 mark. Smith, Haut and Ferguson each registered four kills in the frame to give the Eagles the early advantage.
Set two was a completely different story, as Eastern registered just one block in the set and Kent State hit a blistering .324. The outcome was a resounding Golden Flashes' 25-16 win heading into the break.
After the recess, Eastern Michigan came out determined and re-established its dominance at the net. The Eagles doled out six blocks in the third set alone, with Falco knocking down two solos and also notching three block assists. EMU rolled to a 25-15 set victory to earn the advantage in the match.
The Eagles started the fourth out slow, but came back with a vengeance, scoring 11-of-13 points and coasting to a 25-17 set win. Ferguson was the catalyst of the offense, racking up five kills on seven attacks, while Falco had two solo blocks and LaFace put up seven digs.
In the end, the well-rounded effort put the Eagles in a position to make the MAC Tournament. Should they reach the postseason, EMU will play Thursday, Nov. 16 in Oxford, Ohio at the Miami University.
Team Stats
EMU
KENTST
Kills
52
41
Errors
27
24
Attempts
173
155
Hitting %
.145
.110
Points
67.0
52.0
Assists
47
40
Aces
3
4
Blocks
12.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballS
/ VolleyballOH
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