Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, September 1
Ann Arbor, Mich.
12 p.m.
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Eastern Michigan
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Eastern Volleyball Splits First Day of Michigan Invite
9/1/2018 10:18:00 PM | Volleyball
EMU topped Cleveland State in its home opener, 3-1
HIGHLIGHTS
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team split action in its first day of the Michigan Invitational, Saturday, Sept. 1, falling to the University of Michigan on the road, 3-0, before topping Cleveland State University in the friendly confines of the Convocation Center, 3-1.
EASTERN MICHIGAN 3 CLEVELAND STATE 1
After falling behind early, Eastern rallied past Cleveland State to pick up its first home win of the season, 18-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-20. Sophomore Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) led the offensive attack for the Eagles with 13 kills, while junior Ariel Hamby (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) tied a career-best with 11 kills, hitting at a .364 mark, and added five total blocks.
Redshirt senior Mallory Rajewski (Midland, Mich.-Midland) picked up another double-double with 29 assists and 19 digs, while fellow setter Riley Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.-Perry Meridian) added 14 assists and 13 digs for a double-double of her own.
The offense received a boost from senior Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon), who had nine kills in the match. Sophomore April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) had eight kills and five blocks, while freshman Julia Fisher (Kailua, Hawaii-Le Jardin Academy) added eight of her own kills with a .400 attack percentage.
Eastern and Cleveland State split two close games to start the match, but the Eagles kicked things to another level after the break. EMU hit an eye-popping .355 while CSU hit just .032. For the match, Eastern hit .224 as a team, while Cleveland State managed just a .126 mark.
The victory marks the first home non-conference win for the Eagles since they defeated Auburn 3-1, Sept. 16, 2016 as part of the University of Michigan Challenge. On top of that, Eastern had not defeated Cleveland State since a 3-2 win in Cleveland Sept. 16, 2003.
MICHIGAN 3 EASTERN MICHIGAN 0
The day's action began a short trip across Washtenaw County, as the University of Michigan swept Eastern Michigan, 25-19, 25-18, 25-10.
EMU hit just .020 for the match, while U-M cruised to victory on the heels of a .347 attack percentage. Senior Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) was the only Eagle to reach double-digit kills, finishing with Eastern's match-high of 12. Fellow senior Alyssa LaFace (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) was the only member of the Green and White to reach double-digits digs, marking 12 digs in the match against the Wolverines.
Michigan overwhelmed Eastern in nearly every statistical category on the afternoon, finishing with more kills (47 to 22), assists (41 to 22), and digs (54 to 30). Total blocks was the only category the Eagles were able to win on the afternoon, out-blocking the Wolverines, seven to five.
Eastern Michigan hits the road for a mid-week match against Purdue Fort Wayne, Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. The Eagles will return the early-season tournament play at the William and Mary Colonial Classic, Sept. 7-8 in Williamsburg, Va.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team split action in its first day of the Michigan Invitational, Saturday, Sept. 1, falling to the University of Michigan on the road, 3-0, before topping Cleveland State University in the friendly confines of the Convocation Center, 3-1.
EASTERN MICHIGAN 3 CLEVELAND STATE 1
After falling behind early, Eastern rallied past Cleveland State to pick up its first home win of the season, 18-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-20. Sophomore Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) led the offensive attack for the Eagles with 13 kills, while junior Ariel Hamby (Oak Park, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) tied a career-best with 11 kills, hitting at a .364 mark, and added five total blocks.
Redshirt senior Mallory Rajewski (Midland, Mich.-Midland) picked up another double-double with 29 assists and 19 digs, while fellow setter Riley Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.-Perry Meridian) added 14 assists and 13 digs for a double-double of her own.
The offense received a boost from senior Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon), who had nine kills in the match. Sophomore April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) had eight kills and five blocks, while freshman Julia Fisher (Kailua, Hawaii-Le Jardin Academy) added eight of her own kills with a .400 attack percentage.
Eastern and Cleveland State split two close games to start the match, but the Eagles kicked things to another level after the break. EMU hit an eye-popping .355 while CSU hit just .032. For the match, Eastern hit .224 as a team, while Cleveland State managed just a .126 mark.
The victory marks the first home non-conference win for the Eagles since they defeated Auburn 3-1, Sept. 16, 2016 as part of the University of Michigan Challenge. On top of that, Eastern had not defeated Cleveland State since a 3-2 win in Cleveland Sept. 16, 2003.
MICHIGAN 3 EASTERN MICHIGAN 0
The day's action began a short trip across Washtenaw County, as the University of Michigan swept Eastern Michigan, 25-19, 25-18, 25-10.
EMU hit just .020 for the match, while U-M cruised to victory on the heels of a .347 attack percentage. Senior Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) was the only Eagle to reach double-digit kills, finishing with Eastern's match-high of 12. Fellow senior Alyssa LaFace (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) was the only member of the Green and White to reach double-digits digs, marking 12 digs in the match against the Wolverines.
Michigan overwhelmed Eastern in nearly every statistical category on the afternoon, finishing with more kills (47 to 22), assists (41 to 22), and digs (54 to 30). Total blocks was the only category the Eagles were able to win on the afternoon, out-blocking the Wolverines, seven to five.
Eastern Michigan hits the road for a mid-week match against Purdue Fort Wayne, Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. The Eagles will return the early-season tournament play at the William and Mary Colonial Classic, Sept. 7-8 in Williamsburg, Va.
Team Stats
EMU
MICH
Kills
22
47
Errors
20
14
Attempts
99
95
Hitting %
.020
.347
Points
34.0
56.0
Assists
22
41
Aces
5
4
Blocks
7.0
5.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB/RS
/ VolleyballRS
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
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