Eastern Michigan Athletics
Haut, LaFace, and Smith Named All-MAC First Team
11/14/2018 4:01:00 PM | Volleyball
It marks just the second time in program history EMU has had three First Team members
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Three members of the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team were named All-Mid-American Conference Wednesday, Nov. 14, as redshirt junior Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's Catholic Central) and seniors Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) and Alyssa LaFace (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) were each named to the league's first team.
It marks the first time since 2011 that EMU has had three players named First Team All-MAC, and is just the second time in program history the feat has been achieved. It is also the first postseason honor for Smith and LaFace.
Haut, in her third season in the Green and White, led the league with a .370 attack percentage, as well an eye-popping .389 mark in conference play. The redshirt junior is also fifth in total blocks (107) and blocks per set (1.02), and was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week twice. The Monroe, Mich. native set career-highs in kills (321), kills per set (3.12), total blocks (107), and blocks per set (1.04). This marks the second time Haut has been named to a MAC postseason team, as she was also an All-Freshman honoree in 2015.
Smith, who was a Preseason All-MAC selection, capped off a fantastic four-year career as a first team honoree. The Solon, Iowa native leads the Eagles with 379 kills and 3.54 kills per set, while setting a career-high in hitting percentage with a .219 clip. The senior surpassed the 1,000-kill threshold early in the 2018 campaign, and has moved into seventh in Eastern history for career kills with 1,264. Additionally, the pin hitter earned MAC West Offensive Player of the week twice.
LaFace's first team honor comes on the heels of one of the best individual seasons an Eastern libero has ever had. The senior's final season in the Green and White already ranks sixth in dig total (624), while her 5.82 digs per set mark is fifth in the NCAA and good for the second-best mark in EMU laurels. The Allen Park, Mich. native was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week four times throughout the season.
Eastern Michigan kicks off the 2018 Mid-American Conference Tournament at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio Thursday, Nov. 15, at 4:30 p.m. when it takes on No. 8 seed Kent State University.
It marks the first time since 2011 that EMU has had three players named First Team All-MAC, and is just the second time in program history the feat has been achieved. It is also the first postseason honor for Smith and LaFace.
Haut, in her third season in the Green and White, led the league with a .370 attack percentage, as well an eye-popping .389 mark in conference play. The redshirt junior is also fifth in total blocks (107) and blocks per set (1.02), and was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week twice. The Monroe, Mich. native set career-highs in kills (321), kills per set (3.12), total blocks (107), and blocks per set (1.04). This marks the second time Haut has been named to a MAC postseason team, as she was also an All-Freshman honoree in 2015.
Smith, who was a Preseason All-MAC selection, capped off a fantastic four-year career as a first team honoree. The Solon, Iowa native leads the Eagles with 379 kills and 3.54 kills per set, while setting a career-high in hitting percentage with a .219 clip. The senior surpassed the 1,000-kill threshold early in the 2018 campaign, and has moved into seventh in Eastern history for career kills with 1,264. Additionally, the pin hitter earned MAC West Offensive Player of the week twice.
LaFace's first team honor comes on the heels of one of the best individual seasons an Eastern libero has ever had. The senior's final season in the Green and White already ranks sixth in dig total (624), while her 5.82 digs per set mark is fifth in the NCAA and good for the second-best mark in EMU laurels. The Allen Park, Mich. native was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week four times throughout the season.
Eastern Michigan kicks off the 2018 Mid-American Conference Tournament at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio Thursday, Nov. 15, at 4:30 p.m. when it takes on No. 8 seed Kent State University.
Players Mentioned
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