Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
7-10,2-4MAC
Kent State
7-11,2-4MAC
Volleyball Drops MAC Affair at Kent State
10/9/2021 6:04:00 PM | Volleyball
Three Eagles recorded 10-or-more kills in the 3-1 loss
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fell to Mid-American Conference opponent Kent State University in four sets (19-25, 25-21, 17-25, 21-25) this afternoon, Oct. 9, inside KSU's Memorial Athletic Center.
The loss dropped Eastern Michigan's record to 7-10 overall and 2-4 in MAC play.
The Eagles offense was paced by redshirt freshman Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy), who finished with a personal-best 14 kills on the day. Redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) added 12 kills and freshman Annie Lockett (Mason, Ohio-Mason) chipped in with 10 as part of balanced Eastern Michigan attack. Defensively, EMU had two players reach double figures in digs as sophomore Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan) had 24 and sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) had 11. From the front row, Chase contributed five blocks.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in kills in Blakely (14), Chase (12), and Lockett (10).
» Junior Mackenzie Garis (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) tied a career-high four aces in the loss.
» Blakely had a team-high 14 kills for Eastern Michigan.
» Eastern Michigan got a match-high 24 digs from Stilwell. This is the seventh straight match Stilwell has contributed 10-or-more digs.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a team-high 45 assists from Otto. It was the eighth time the setter collected 40-or-more assists this season.
» Otto registered her 15th career double-double with 45 assists and 11 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles dropped set one 25-19 in spite of a solid showing on the attacking side. Eastern Michigan put together a .375 attack percentage with 15 kills in the set loss.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan responded to pick up a 25-21 victory in set two, evening the match at one set apiece. The Eagles grabbed the advantage for good at 22-21 in a set that showcased three lead changes before the Eagles took over in the second half of the stanza. The Eastern Michigan offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Eastern Michigan's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Kent State attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Kent State responded to win set number three, putting Eastern Michigan in a two sets to one hole. The Eagles fell behind on the first point and never clawed back into the lead before falling in the set 25-17.
SET 4 | Eastern Michigan then dropped the fourth set 25-21 to finish off the match. Kent State grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 and Eastern Michigan was never able to recover in a set that was knotted up 10 times before the Golden Flashes took over in the second half of the stanza.
Up Next
» Eastern Michigan will return to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center with a two-match series against Miami University Thursday, Oct. 14, and Friday, Oct. 15. Thursday's match is slated for 6 p.m., while Friday's game will begin at 4 p.m. Both matches will be televised on ESPN+.
