Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
8-14,3-8MAC
Bowling Green
15-6,11-0MAC
Heartbreak at Bowling Green as Volleyball Falls 3-1
10/23/2021 7:24:00 PM | Volleyball
Three Eagles recorded 10-or-more kills which were led by Samantha Basham with 21
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team attempted the comeback after extending the match to the fourth set, but ultimately lost to Bowling Green State University, 3-3 (23-25, 13-25, 26-24, 24-26) Saturday, Oct. 23, on the road at the Stroh Center.
The loss dropped Eastern Michigan's record to 8-14 overall and 3-8 in Mid-American Conference play. The Falcons remain undefeated in conference play at 11-0. EMU is the only team in the league to win one set in each of the matches against the Falcons.
The Eagles offense was paced by sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic), who finished with 21 kills on the day. Redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) added 15 and redshirt freshman Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy) chipped in with 10 as part of balanced Eastern Michigan attack. Defensively, EMU had four players reach double figures in digs, highlighted by sophomore Kamryn Stilwell's (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan) 27, 17 from freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern), and 12 more from sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge). From the front row, Chase contributed five blocks.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double-digit kills in Basham (21), Chase (15), and Blakely (10).
» Eastern Michigan had four players in double-figure digs in Stilwell (27), Hommes (17), Otto (12), and junior Mackenzie Garis (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) with 12.
» Basham had a team-high 21 kills for Eastern Michigan.
» Eastern Michigan got a team-high 27 digs from Stilwell.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a team-high 44 assists from Otto.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, losing a nail-biter first set, 25-23. Bowling Green grabbed the advantage for good at 24-23 in a set that was knotted up 14 times before the Falcons took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 2 | A 25-13 second-set loss put Eastern Michigan behind 2-0 in the match. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 12 points as Bowling Green grabbed the advantage for good at 2-1 in a set that was tied up just once before the Falcons took over the lead.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan rallied back to pull within two sets to one, winning their first set of the match in the third stanza. The Eagles came out on top of a tight battle, winning 26-24 in a set that was tied six times and had three lead changes. The Eagles racked up 17 kills over the course of the set. The Eastern Michigan offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Eastern Michigan couldn't keep the rally going and fell in set four 26-24 to drop the match. The Eagles dropped a back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured six lead changes and was tied 12 times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than three points along the way.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan returns to Ypsilanti, Mich. for a two-match homestand with the University at Buffalo Friday, Oct. 29, and the University of Akron Saturday, Oct. 30. Friday's match is slated for 6 p.m. while Saturday's match will start at 3 p.m.
