Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Ball State
Volleyball Hosts Ball State Friday and Saturday
11/10/2021 3:25:00 PM | Volleyball
The Eagles will compete in the team's final two home matches of the season including Senior Day, Nov. 13
| Volleyball vs. Ball State | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. |
| Venue | Convocation Center - Ypsilanti, Mich. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Watch | ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN3 (Saturday) |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| @EMUVolleyball | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team begins a two-match homestand when the Eagles host Ball State University Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12-13, inside the Convocation Center. First serve for both matches is slated for 2 p.m. Saturday's match will also serve as Eastern's Senior Day, will the program will honor senior Mackenzie Garis.
EMU (9-17, 4-11 MAC) will look to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Toledo in consecutive matches last weekend, Nov. 5-6. Ball State (24-3, 14-1 MAC) will look to continue its 14-game winning streak when the Cardinals meet the Eagles this weekend. BSU swept Central Michigan last weekend to improve its Mid-American Conference record to a league-best 14-1.
Fans can catch Friday's match on ESPN+ and Saturday's contest on ESPN3. As always, fans can follow along on EMUEagles.com/livestats or Twitter by following @EMUVolleyball.
AMONG THE LEADERS: Eastern Michigan's 2.11 blocks per set ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference. The team's 1.30 aces per set ranks seventh.
Individually, redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase leads the conference averaging 1.22 blocks per set (120 total) which is good for 50th in the NCAA. Additionally, her total blocks rank 14th in the nation. Furthermore, Chase's 33 blocks solo in the 2021 campaign ranks the middle blocker second in the NCAA. Chase also ranks fifth in the league with a .336 hitting percentage (259-74-551).
Sophomore Kamryn Stilwell is ranked fifth in the conference, averaging 4.59 digs per set. She has tallied 450 total digs this season, placing her second in the MAC and 33rd in the NCAA. Classmate Jayden Otto is averaging 9.86 assists per set, which is good for sixth in the conference, while sophomore Samantha Basham is fifth in the MAC, averaging 3.43 kills per set. Additionally, Basham and Chase are fifth and 10th averaging 3.80 and 3.47 points per set, respectively.
IF THE MAC TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY: If the Mid-American Conference Tournament started today, Eastern Michigan would miss the cut into the top-six spots. With a 4-11 conference record, the Eagles are in a three-way tie for eighth place.
Ball State would be the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a 14-1 league record, followed by Bowling Green (14-1) and Ohio (10-5). Western Michigan (9-6), Toledo (9-6), and Northern Illinois (7-8) would round the last three spots.
The regular season champion will host the tournament which will be played Nov. 22-24.
BASH 'EM: With her 14-kill effort at Toledo, Nov. 6, sophomore Samantha Basham has tallied double-digit kills in nine-straight matches. The sophomore leads the Eagles with 329 kills on the season, ranking her fifth in the Mid-American Conference in that category.
Basham also has posted three matches with 20+ kills in 2021, including a career-high 23 at Ohio, Oct. 8. The outside hitter leads the team averaging 3.43 kills per set, ranking fifth in the MAC.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR DAYS: Sophomore Samantha Basham has recorded five double-doubles in the last seven nine matches. Most recently, she tallied 19 kills with 10 digs vs. Buffalo, Oct. 29.
In EMU's series against Miami, Oct. 14-15, Basham tallied 19 kills and 16 digs in a 3-1 loss to the RedHawks, Oct. 14. The following day, the outside hitter recorded a career-high 15 kills and 17 digs in a four-set victory. Against the Chippewas, the sophomore notched 10 kills and 11 digs, Oct. 22.
Basham has six career double-doubles, all from the 2021 fall season.
CHASE-IN RECORDS: Redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase tallied two solo blocks at Bowling Green, Oct. 23, to pass Bonnie Covey (1982-85) and Lisa Henderson (1985) for eighth place in the EMU record books with 56 career solo blocks. After recording another solo block against Buffalo, Oct. 29, the middle blocker needs just six more to move into seventh place.
Former all-region selection Roxanne Munch (1986-1989) holds the record at 140.
CAN YOU DIG IT?: Sophomore Kamryn Stilwell has started as Eastern's primary libero in every match so far this season. The defensive specialist has tallied a team-high 450 digs, which doubles the next highest at 197. Stilwell's total digs mark also places her 33rd in NCAA DI volleyball. She's averaging 4.59 digs per set, good for fifth in the Mid-American Conference.
The sophomore has tabbed 19 outings this season with at least 15 digs. Additionally, the libero has totaled double-digit digs in 16-straight matches.
BLOCK PARTY: Redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase totaled four blocks in last week's series with Toledo, putting the middle blocker over the mark of 120 blocks on the season for the first time in her collegiate career. Chase has tabbed 100-plus blocks in back-to-back campaigns for the Eagles (100, 2020 season). The 120 denials lead the Mid-American Conference. Chase's 33 blocks solo in the 2021 campaign ranks the middle blocker second in the NCAA. The Toronto, Ontario native is tied for second with Kaylee Oscarson (Stetson) and is seven solo blocks behind the nation's leader, Sarah Barham (Wofford), who has 40 solo blocks on the season. The middle blocker's 120 total blocks rank her 14th in the nation and is just six blocks from cracking the nation's top-10 in that category. Chase tied a season-high nine blocks (3-6) in a 3-1 loss against Miami, Oct. 14. Additionally, she has led the team in blocks in 19 matches this season.
The middle blocker has tallied 289 career blocks (59-230). With her two solo blocks at Bowling Green, Oct. 23, Chase passed Bonnie Covey (1982-85) and Lisa Henderson (1985) for eighth place in the EMU record book with 56 career solo blocks. After recording another solo block against Buffalo, Oct. 29, the middle blocker needs just six more to move into seventh place.
Additionally, she needs 25 block assists to break into the top-10 of the EMU record book.
OTTO-MATIC: Quarterbacking the EMU offense again this season is sophomore Jayden Otto. The setter notched a season-high 48 assists and 11 digs in a 3-1 win over Akron, Oct. 30
Otto etched her name in the EMU record book as she tallied 40 assists in a 3-0 victory over Boston College, Sept. 18, to tie for seventh in program history for a three-set match in the modern statistical era (since 2008). Additionally, the sophomore tallied 41 assists in a three-set sweep over Belmont, Sept. 11. Her 41-assist performance is tied for fifth in program history for a three-set match in the modern statistical era (since 2008).
Otto averages 9.86 assists per set, which is good for sixth in the Mid-American Conference. She has led the Eagles in assists every match so far this season and needs just 20 more assists (1,943 total) to break into the top-10 of the EMU record books. Former Eagle Jill Briner (2013-14) currently sits 10th in the program's record books with 1,963 career assists.
ACE, ACE BABY: Eastern Michigan has tallied 127 service aces this season. The Green and White average 1.3 aces per set, which ranks seventh in the Mid-American Conference. Last season, the Eagles tallied 1.0 aces per set.
Six Eagles have recorded double-digit aces this season with sophomore Jayden Otto leading the way with 25 aces. Junior Mackenzie Garis has notched 24 service aces this season while freshman Madeline Timmerman follows with 19. Sophomore Samantha Basham and freshmen Annie Lockett and Bella Hommes have 18, 14, and 14, respectively.
Garis tallied a career-high five service aces in EMU's four-set victory over Akron, Oct. 30. The five aces are the highest by any Eagle in a single match this season.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: Ball State enters the two-match series with EMU as the hottest team in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals have rattled off 14-straight victories on their way to the best record in the conference (14-1, 24-3). Since starting MAC play 0-1, BSU has not dropped a contest since a five-set defeat at Kent State, Sept. 24.
During Ball State's 14-game winning streak, the team has swept nine of those 14 contests, claiming 42 of the 49 sets in those meetings. The Cardinals have not lost consecutive matches yet this season and began the 2021 campaign with a seven-game winning streak versus non-conference opponents.
One of the hottest teams in BSU's program history, the Cardinals' 14-game winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest in program history. Along with the winning streak, the team's 24 victories this season are the most of any NCAA DI volleyball program in the 2021 campaign.
With 45 service aces on the season, Megan Wielonski is tied for ninth in the nation in total aces. That mark also leads the Mid-American Conference. Wielonski's 1,073 assists are also second in the MAC. Teammate Lauren Gilliland is slated 43rd in the nation with a .376 hitting percentage, a number that also leads the conference.
With Ball State's sweep of Central Michigan this past weekend, the Cardinals captured the Mid-American Conference West Division Championship, holding a 14-1 record in conference play. Their MAC mark also grants them a first-round bye in the postseason tournament. Despite all the accolades, BSU still remains tied with Bowling Green (18-7, 14-1 MAC) atop the conference standings and will need to grow their winning streak if they want to secure the no. 1 seed in the MAC Volleyball Championships and claim home court advantage.
ALL-TIME VERSUS BSU: The two-match series between the Eagles and Cardinals will be the 81st and 82nd meetings in the program history. BSU leads in the all-time series, 53-27. The Eagles split with the Cardinals during the 2021 spring season. BSU claimed the first match of the series, 3-0, March 26, 2021. However, EMU bounced back the following day to take a five-set victory.
LAST TIME IN YPSI : The last time these two programs met came inside the Convocation Center where the Mid-American Conference foes split a two-match series, March 26-27, 2021. In the most recent meeting, the Eagles defeated the Cardinals in five sets (25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 15-13), March 27, 2021. In that contest, redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase collected a program-record 15 total blocks (1 solo, 14 assisted) and a season-best 11 kills while sophomore Samantha Basham earned eight kills and three total blocks.
ALL-TIME VERSUS THE MAC: The Green and White hold a 280-359-1 program mark against Mid-American Conference teams. Eastern has played Western Michigan the most (95 times) while facing Central Michigan 92 times, and Ball State 80 times. Since the 1980 season when EMU started competing in the MAC, EMU has won one MAC Tournament title (2018) and one MAC West title (2005). Under Darcy Dorton, the Eagles hold an 18-33 MAC record.
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to battle Central Michigan, Nov. 17, for the team's season finale. First serve in Mount Pleasant is set for 6 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION ALL SEASON LONG: Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on Twitter for all of the latest EMU volleyball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMU_Volleyball.
