Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, September 8
Towson. Md.
10 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4-4
3
vs
0
Quinnipiac
0-10
1
2
3
F
Quinnipiac
22
20
19
0
Eastern Michigan
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Volleyball Kicks Off Towson Invitational with Two Sweeps
9/8/2017 1:43:00 PM | Volleyball
EMU went a perfect 6-0 on the day against Quinnipiac and George Mason
TOWSON, Md. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team completed back-to-back sweeps on the opening day of the Towson Tigers Invitational Friday, Sept. 8, in Towson, Md. The Green and White started with a 3-0 win against Quinnipiac (25-22, 25-20, 25-19) before finishing their day with a similar result against George Mason (25-21, 25-17, 25-15).
The Eagles (5-4) had an explosive day on offense, combining for 91 kills and a .325 hitting percentage over the two matches. However, the day was highlighted by multiple individual career-bests.
"Today was a great day for us," said Head Coach Kimi Olson. "We have been working on being more consistent and our outsides helped set the tone by staying low error and very efficient. We were able to run a balanced attack and defend at a high level. I'm proud of our efforts today and look forward to two more matches tomorrow."
Eastern Michigan 3 Quinnipiac 0
The Eagles put together their best offensive performance of the season in the opener of the Towson Tigers Invitational, hitting .310 as a team and putting down 42 kills to just 11 errors. Freshman Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) led the team with a career-high 12 kills with a .435 attack percentage, while junior Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) added 10 kills and eight digs.
EMU was also stout along the front line, totaling nine blocks, led by senior Kelly Ferguson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) who had a career-best seven and Strefling, who added another career-high in blocks with five.
Eastern Michigan used an 8-1 run in the first set to distance themselves from Quinnipiac and was able to keep the lead throughout the set. The Bobcats cut the lead to just one at 22-21 late in the set, but the Eagles held on and won 25-22. EMU hit .250 for the set and held Quinnipiac to just .118.
The second set was more of the same, with the Eagles and Bobcats playing tight early, and Eastern putting together a big run to take a commanding lead. This time, EMU turned a one-point lead into a seven point advantage thanks to a 9-3 run. Quinnipiac could not cut the Eagles' lead to less than four, and Eastern Michigan came out with a 25-20 set win. In the set, EMU committed just two errors to 15 kills for a .371 attack percentage.
Set three saw the Eagles jump ahead to a lead that they would never relinquish, pushing the advantage to as many as eight in the set. The largest lead came at the end of a 10-2 run that saw EMU go ahead 22-14. They'd close out the sweep with a 25-19 victory.
Eastern Michigan 3 George Mason 0
The Green and White followed up its best performance of the season by topping it yet again, as they came away with their second sweep of the day against George Mason. Smith led the match in kills (12), attacks (27), and points (15.5), while Riley Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.-Perry Meridian) put together a match-high in assists with 21. In fact, the Eagles failed to lead the match in only two categories: digs and total errors. As a whole, EMU hit at an impressive .340 clip, tallying 49 total kills.
Eastern also got it done on the defensive end as Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary Catholic Central) had a match-high in blocks with three, and Camille Schomer (Rochester, Mich.-Oakland Christian) notched 13 digs, which ranked second in the match.
The Eagles began the first set on their heels, dropping the first four points before Strefling came through with a kill to put them on the board. From there, EMU was able to climb back and keep the game in range for majority of the match. However, once the Eagles were able to push to a 16-13 lead, the Patriots couldn't come back as the Green and White took the first set, 25-21.
Unlike the first set, EMU never had to climb out of a hole in the second. The Game remained within a few points until the Eagles scored four-straight points to bring the score to 19-14. George Mason was able to recover a few points, but ultimately fell as the Green and White took six of the next nine points to end the set, 25-17.
Heading into set three with a 2-0 lead on the Patriots, the Eagles used their momentum to jump ahead early and maintain the lead. EMU scored 13 out of the first 18 points, then continued to apply pressure, never letting George Mason come within six points. The Eagles ultimately took set three by a 10-point margin, winning 25-15, and taking the match, 3-0.
Eastern Michigan will begin day two of the Towson Invitational tomorrow against Cal State Fullerton at 10 a.m. before following up with a battle against Lafayette at 4:45 p.m. The Eagles will finish their weekend with a match against tournament-host, Towson, Sunday at noon.
The Eagles (5-4) had an explosive day on offense, combining for 91 kills and a .325 hitting percentage over the two matches. However, the day was highlighted by multiple individual career-bests.
"Today was a great day for us," said Head Coach Kimi Olson. "We have been working on being more consistent and our outsides helped set the tone by staying low error and very efficient. We were able to run a balanced attack and defend at a high level. I'm proud of our efforts today and look forward to two more matches tomorrow."
Eastern Michigan 3 Quinnipiac 0
The Eagles put together their best offensive performance of the season in the opener of the Towson Tigers Invitational, hitting .310 as a team and putting down 42 kills to just 11 errors. Freshman Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) led the team with a career-high 12 kills with a .435 attack percentage, while junior Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) added 10 kills and eight digs.
EMU was also stout along the front line, totaling nine blocks, led by senior Kelly Ferguson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) who had a career-best seven and Strefling, who added another career-high in blocks with five.
Eastern Michigan used an 8-1 run in the first set to distance themselves from Quinnipiac and was able to keep the lead throughout the set. The Bobcats cut the lead to just one at 22-21 late in the set, but the Eagles held on and won 25-22. EMU hit .250 for the set and held Quinnipiac to just .118.
The second set was more of the same, with the Eagles and Bobcats playing tight early, and Eastern putting together a big run to take a commanding lead. This time, EMU turned a one-point lead into a seven point advantage thanks to a 9-3 run. Quinnipiac could not cut the Eagles' lead to less than four, and Eastern Michigan came out with a 25-20 set win. In the set, EMU committed just two errors to 15 kills for a .371 attack percentage.
Set three saw the Eagles jump ahead to a lead that they would never relinquish, pushing the advantage to as many as eight in the set. The largest lead came at the end of a 10-2 run that saw EMU go ahead 22-14. They'd close out the sweep with a 25-19 victory.
Eastern Michigan 3 George Mason 0
The Green and White followed up its best performance of the season by topping it yet again, as they came away with their second sweep of the day against George Mason. Smith led the match in kills (12), attacks (27), and points (15.5), while Riley Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.-Perry Meridian) put together a match-high in assists with 21. In fact, the Eagles failed to lead the match in only two categories: digs and total errors. As a whole, EMU hit at an impressive .340 clip, tallying 49 total kills.
Eastern also got it done on the defensive end as Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary Catholic Central) had a match-high in blocks with three, and Camille Schomer (Rochester, Mich.-Oakland Christian) notched 13 digs, which ranked second in the match.
The Eagles began the first set on their heels, dropping the first four points before Strefling came through with a kill to put them on the board. From there, EMU was able to climb back and keep the game in range for majority of the match. However, once the Eagles were able to push to a 16-13 lead, the Patriots couldn't come back as the Green and White took the first set, 25-21.
Unlike the first set, EMU never had to climb out of a hole in the second. The Game remained within a few points until the Eagles scored four-straight points to bring the score to 19-14. George Mason was able to recover a few points, but ultimately fell as the Green and White took six of the next nine points to end the set, 25-17.
Heading into set three with a 2-0 lead on the Patriots, the Eagles used their momentum to jump ahead early and maintain the lead. EMU scored 13 out of the first 18 points, then continued to apply pressure, never letting George Mason come within six points. The Eagles ultimately took set three by a 10-point margin, winning 25-15, and taking the match, 3-0.
Eastern Michigan will begin day two of the Towson Invitational tomorrow against Cal State Fullerton at 10 a.m. before following up with a battle against Lafayette at 4:45 p.m. The Eagles will finish their weekend with a match against tournament-host, Towson, Sunday at noon.
Team Stats
QUI
EMU
Kills
37
42
Errors
21
11
Attempts
108
100
Hitting %
.148
.310
Points
44.0
54.0
Assists
36
36
Aces
3
3
Blocks
4.0
9.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Players Mentioned
MB
/ VolleyballMB/RS
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballVolleyball Highlights vs. Valparaiso
Saturday, September 06
Volleyball Highlights vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Friday, September 05
Script Eastern Volleyball Jerseys Reveal
Thursday, September 04
1 more sleep!😴🏐
Thursday, August 28