Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
9-15,4-9MAC
Akron
10-15,4-9MAC
Eagles Combine for 15 blocks in 3-1 Win Against Akron
10/30/2021 5:06:00 PM | Volleyball
Mackenzie Garis records career-best aces effort
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) --The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team racked up 15 blocks en route to a four-set win (25-20, 22-25, 25-17, 25-21) against the University of Akron today, Oct. 30, inside the Convocation Center.
The win improved the Eagles' record to 9-15 overall and 4-9 in Mid-American Conference action.
The Eagles' offense was paced by sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic), who finished with 18 kills on the day. Redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ont.-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) added 15 and redshirt freshman Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy) chipped in with 12 as part of a balanced Eastern Michigan attack. Freshman MacKenzie Garis (Grand Haven, Mich.-Grand Haven) also pitched in with a career-high five service aces in the contest. Defensively, EMU had three players reach double figures in digs, including sophomore Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan) with 19, Garis with 14, and 11 more from sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Praire Ridge). From the front row, Chase contributed eight blocks and Blakely added a career-tying six rejections.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in kills and digs.
» Garis had a career-high five aces in the win.
» Chase had a match-high eight blocks.
» Freshman Makayla Smith (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) tied her career-best in blocks with 5.
» The Eastern Michigan front row did a great job defensively, picking up 15 blocks in the match.
» Basham had a match-high 18 kills for Eastern Michigan.
» Eastern Michigan got a match-high 19 digs from Stilwell.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a season-high 48 assists from Otto.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles earned a set-one victory, 25-20, helped by a solid performance on the attacking side. Eastern Michigan registered a .314 attack percentage with 15 kills in the set. The Eagles ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point differential in the set to finish out the stanza.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan then lost set two, 25-22. The Eagles came up short in a back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured eight lead changes and was tied 11 times. Neither team led by more than three points along the way.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan put the second-set loss behind them and took a 2-1 match-lead with a win in set three. The Eagles grabbed control of the set early when the score was 4-3 and never trailed to win 25-17. Eastern Michigan ended on a strong note, achieving its biggest lead of the stanza, eight points, to close out the set. The Eastern Michigan offense also got a boost from four aces.
SET 4 | Eastern Michigan kept the momentum going, claiming the match win with a 25-21 set-four victory. The Eagles took the lead for good at 12-11 in a set that showcased four lead changes. The Green and White got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked six Akron attacks in the stanza.
