Eastern Michigan Athletics
Volleyball Gears Up for the 2021 Spring Season
2/1/2021 12:30:00 PM | Volleyball
EMU is expected to start the spring season against Western Michigan, Feb. 4
Season Preview Video
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After the 2020 fall season was postponed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is expected to begin the spring season, Feb. 4. Head Coach Darcy Dorton will lead the program for her second season after the Eagles ended the 2019 campaign with an 11-17 overall record and a 6-10 Mid-American Conference mark.
This year's campaign was shortened due to the pandemic and will be played mid-January through March. The schedule structure will consist of two-match series only against MAC opponents at one institution rather than the traditional home-and-home with travel weekends where teams would normally play two different opponents.
Remaining on staff is assistant coach Kassie Kadera, who enters her second year at EMU. Joining the staff for the 2021 winter season is assistant coach Tyler Golsteyn. Golsteyn arrives in Ypsilanti after a one-year stint with East Carolina University, where he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Pirates.
This season, the Green and White welcome four freshmen to the roster, many of whom will look to make an immediate impact on the court. The roster also features 11 returning letterwinners, including senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) who posted 346 kills in 2020.
OUTSIDE HITTERS
The Eagles welcome back five returning outside hitters to their 2020-21 roster, highlighted by Strefling, and sophomores Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) and Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis.-Mukwonago).
In 2019, Strefling appeared in all 28 matches, making 24 starts for the Green and White. The Niles, Mich. native averaged 3.54 points per set and tallied 396 digs, which ranked second on the team. The 5-foot-10 senior tallied double-digit kill performances 24 times last season and posted a season-high 19 kills twice in 2020 (at Miami; at Bowling Green).
Basham saw action in 23 matches for the Eagles, where she finished with 63 kills along with 32 digs and 19 block assists. The Granville, Ohio native notched personal-bests in kills (8), points (10.5), digs (5), and aces (2) in a 3-1 win over Ohio, Oct. 5.
Last season, Jansky led the freshman class in kills (118) and played in 19 matches. She totaled double-figure kills in four matches, including a career-best 18 kills at Bowling Green, Oct. 19.
Senior Carissa Spalt (Tucson, Ariz.-Sabino) returns after playing in two matches last season, while redshirt freshman Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy) will look to earn time on the court after receiving a redshirt.
Eastern welcomes freshman Makayla Smith (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) to the 2020-21 roster. The 5-foot-11 right side earned four letters at Portage Northern High School where she tallied 477 kills during her final campaign.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
EMU will see two veterans from the 2019 squad return for the 2020-21 campaign in senior April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) and redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ont.-Michael Powers St. Joseph Catholic).
Houston saw game action in 18 matches with 11 starts for the Eagles. The Minneapolis, Minn. native posted 48 total blocks (2-46) in 2019, and posted a season-high six blocks three times (vs. Navy, vs. A&M Corpus Christi, vs. Purdue).
In her first year donning the Green and White, Chase ranked second in the conference with a .345 hitting percentage (108-32-220) and finished fifth with a 1.03 blocks per set average. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker tallied 69 total blocks (10-59), which ranked second on the team. Chase broke the Convocation Center record with a .882 hitting percentage (15-0-17) in a 3-1 victory against Ohio, Oct. 5.
Also returning is junior Abbey Kearney (Las Vegas, Nev.-Palisades Charter) who should make an impact for the Eagles this year. Kearney appeared in three matches for EMU in 2019.
The Eagles add freshman Journey Barsh (Homewood, Ill.-Homewood Flossmoor) to this season's roster. The 5-foot-10 middle blocker was a four-year letterwinner and two-time captain at Homewood Flossmoor High School. She led the Vikings to a 30-7 record and a regional championship her senior season.
SETTERS
Sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) will serve as EMU's primary setter in 2020-21. She appeared in 14 matches for the Eagles last season, where she finished with 176 assists. The 5-foot-11 setter notched a career-best 26 assists against Navy, Sept. 14.
Incoming freshman Olivia Szylar (Itasca, Ill.-Lake Park) is one of four recruits for the 2020-21 roster. The Itasca, Ill. native was a four-year letterwinner at Lake Park High School, where she set the career assists record with 1,503, including 559 during her senior season.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
Eastern will welcome back two returning defensive specialists to the 2020-21 roster in junior Mackenzie Garis (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) and sophomore Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan).
Garis appeared in 26 matches, making five starts for the Eagles in 2019. The 5-foot-7 DS ranked fourth on the team with 166 digs and posted a career-high 19 digs twice (at Bowling Green, vs. Ball State). The junior also tallied a personal-best 18 assists versus Xavier, Aug. 31.
In her first season at EMU, Stilwell saw game action in 20 matches last year. The Parma, Ohio native recorded 72 digs and three aces, including a career-high nine digs in a 3-1 loss at Ball State, Nov. 15.
Lastly, EMU welcomes freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) to the 2020-21 roster as a defensive specialist. The 5-foot-7 freshman holds the Forest Hills Northern school record for career digs with 1,513, while leading the Huskies to two Ottawa-Kent White Conference Championships in 2016 and 2017.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU volleyball, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team's official Twitter at Twitter.com/EMUVolleyball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/EMUVB, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/emu_volleyball.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After the 2020 fall season was postponed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is expected to begin the spring season, Feb. 4. Head Coach Darcy Dorton will lead the program for her second season after the Eagles ended the 2019 campaign with an 11-17 overall record and a 6-10 Mid-American Conference mark.
This year's campaign was shortened due to the pandemic and will be played mid-January through March. The schedule structure will consist of two-match series only against MAC opponents at one institution rather than the traditional home-and-home with travel weekends where teams would normally play two different opponents.
Remaining on staff is assistant coach Kassie Kadera, who enters her second year at EMU. Joining the staff for the 2021 winter season is assistant coach Tyler Golsteyn. Golsteyn arrives in Ypsilanti after a one-year stint with East Carolina University, where he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Pirates.
This season, the Green and White welcome four freshmen to the roster, many of whom will look to make an immediate impact on the court. The roster also features 11 returning letterwinners, including senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) who posted 346 kills in 2020.
OUTSIDE HITTERS
The Eagles welcome back five returning outside hitters to their 2020-21 roster, highlighted by Strefling, and sophomores Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) and Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis.-Mukwonago).
In 2019, Strefling appeared in all 28 matches, making 24 starts for the Green and White. The Niles, Mich. native averaged 3.54 points per set and tallied 396 digs, which ranked second on the team. The 5-foot-10 senior tallied double-digit kill performances 24 times last season and posted a season-high 19 kills twice in 2020 (at Miami; at Bowling Green).
Basham saw action in 23 matches for the Eagles, where she finished with 63 kills along with 32 digs and 19 block assists. The Granville, Ohio native notched personal-bests in kills (8), points (10.5), digs (5), and aces (2) in a 3-1 win over Ohio, Oct. 5.
Last season, Jansky led the freshman class in kills (118) and played in 19 matches. She totaled double-figure kills in four matches, including a career-best 18 kills at Bowling Green, Oct. 19.
Senior Carissa Spalt (Tucson, Ariz.-Sabino) returns after playing in two matches last season, while redshirt freshman Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy) will look to earn time on the court after receiving a redshirt.
Eastern welcomes freshman Makayla Smith (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) to the 2020-21 roster. The 5-foot-11 right side earned four letters at Portage Northern High School where she tallied 477 kills during her final campaign.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
EMU will see two veterans from the 2019 squad return for the 2020-21 campaign in senior April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) and redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ont.-Michael Powers St. Joseph Catholic).
Houston saw game action in 18 matches with 11 starts for the Eagles. The Minneapolis, Minn. native posted 48 total blocks (2-46) in 2019, and posted a season-high six blocks three times (vs. Navy, vs. A&M Corpus Christi, vs. Purdue).
In her first year donning the Green and White, Chase ranked second in the conference with a .345 hitting percentage (108-32-220) and finished fifth with a 1.03 blocks per set average. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker tallied 69 total blocks (10-59), which ranked second on the team. Chase broke the Convocation Center record with a .882 hitting percentage (15-0-17) in a 3-1 victory against Ohio, Oct. 5.
Also returning is junior Abbey Kearney (Las Vegas, Nev.-Palisades Charter) who should make an impact for the Eagles this year. Kearney appeared in three matches for EMU in 2019.
The Eagles add freshman Journey Barsh (Homewood, Ill.-Homewood Flossmoor) to this season's roster. The 5-foot-10 middle blocker was a four-year letterwinner and two-time captain at Homewood Flossmoor High School. She led the Vikings to a 30-7 record and a regional championship her senior season.
SETTERS
Sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) will serve as EMU's primary setter in 2020-21. She appeared in 14 matches for the Eagles last season, where she finished with 176 assists. The 5-foot-11 setter notched a career-best 26 assists against Navy, Sept. 14.
Incoming freshman Olivia Szylar (Itasca, Ill.-Lake Park) is one of four recruits for the 2020-21 roster. The Itasca, Ill. native was a four-year letterwinner at Lake Park High School, where she set the career assists record with 1,503, including 559 during her senior season.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
Eastern will welcome back two returning defensive specialists to the 2020-21 roster in junior Mackenzie Garis (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) and sophomore Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan).
Garis appeared in 26 matches, making five starts for the Eagles in 2019. The 5-foot-7 DS ranked fourth on the team with 166 digs and posted a career-high 19 digs twice (at Bowling Green, vs. Ball State). The junior also tallied a personal-best 18 assists versus Xavier, Aug. 31.
In her first season at EMU, Stilwell saw game action in 20 matches last year. The Parma, Ohio native recorded 72 digs and three aces, including a career-high nine digs in a 3-1 loss at Ball State, Nov. 15.
Lastly, EMU welcomes freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) to the 2020-21 roster as a defensive specialist. The 5-foot-7 freshman holds the Forest Hills Northern school record for career digs with 1,513, while leading the Huskies to two Ottawa-Kent White Conference Championships in 2016 and 2017.
For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU volleyball, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team's official Twitter at Twitter.com/EMUVolleyball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/EMUVB, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/emu_volleyball.
Players Mentioned
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