Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-9,1-3MAC
Northern Illinois
8-7,2-3MAC
Volleyball Earns Five-Set Victory at Northern Illinois
10/2/2021 10:51:00 PM | Volleyball
Sophomore Samantha Basham led the Eagles with a career-high 20 kills
DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team claimed its first Mid-American Conference victory of the 2021 season over Northern Illinois University in five sets (25-19, 17-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-10) Saturday, Oct. 2, on the road at Victor E Court.
The win boosted the Eagles' record to 6-9 overall and 1-3 in MAC action.
The Eagles were led by a double-double from freshman Annie Lockett (Mason, Ohio-Mason), who registered 13 kills and 12 digs on the day. Sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) also added 20 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, sophomore Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan) chipped in for EMU with 15 digs to go with nine blocks from redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic).
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in digs.
» Sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) had a team-high two aces in the win.
» Lockett registered her first career double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs.
» Eastern Michigan never trailed on the way to winning the fifth set 15-10.
» Basham posted a career-high 20 kills for Eastern Michigan.
» Eastern Michigan saw a team-high 15 digs from Stilwell.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a team-high 40 assists from Otto.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles grabbed control of the set-one lead at 2-1 and never looked back to win 25-19. Eastern Michigan led by as many as eight points at 14-6 before closing out the set, totaling 15 kills.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan lost the second set 25-17 to even the match 1-1. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as eight points as Northern Illinois grabbed the advantage for good at 12-11 in a set that was tied up five times before the Huskies took over the lead.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan put the second-set loss in the rearview mirror and grabbed a 2-1 match lead with a win in set three. The Eagles took control of the set early when the score was 6-5 and held the lead the rest of the way to win 25-22. Eastern Michigan led by as many as five points at 13-8 before finishing off the stanza.
SET 4 | Eastern Michigan couldn't finish off a four-set win as the Huskies forced a fifth set with a 25-19 victory. The Eagles trailed by as many as nine points as Northern Illinois grabbed the advantage for good at 4-3. Eastern Michigan wasn't able to recover in a set that was tied up two times before the Huskies took over.
SET 5 | Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois went back and forth all game, trading set wins until the Eagles took set five 15-10 and the match. The Eagles took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in set five to secure the victory. Eastern Michigan opened up as much as a five-point lead at 9-4 before closing out the set, totaling 10 kills while only committing one attack error in the set.
Up Next
» Eastern Michigan will continue a four-match road stint Friday, Oct. 8 when the Eagles travel to Athens, Ohio to take on Ohio. The match is slated for 4 p.m.
