Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
9-19,4-13MAC
Ball State
26-3,16-1MAC
Eagles Drop Final Home Match To Ball State In Five Sets
11/13/2021 4:38:00 PM | Volleyball
Eastern Michigan honors Mackenzie Garis as part of Senior Day celebration
Photo Gallery
Postgame Highlight Video
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) --The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team lost to the Ball State University Cardinals, 3-2 (25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 19-25, 9-15) Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Convocation Center.
The loss dropped Eastern Michigan's record to 9-19 overall and 4-13 in MAC play.
The Eagles were led by a double-double from sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic), who registered 19 kills and 13 digs on the day. In addition, sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) added 16 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, sophomore Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan) chipped in for EMU with 26 digs to go with five blocks from freshman Makayla Smith (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern). Sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) also came up big for the Green and White. She tallied 56 assists, the second-best effort of her career.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in kills.
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in digs.
» Freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) had a team-high one ace in the loss.
» Eastern Michigan never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-21.
» Eastern Michigan beat Ball State for only the second time during their current 16 match win-streak in a first set.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a team-high 56 assists from Otto.
» The Eagles had 59 total assists, the most for the team in a game this season. Eastern's previous best mark came Aug. 28, 2021, vs Montana, in Charleston, SC.
» Today marked just the fifth time this season that EMU played in a five-set match.
» The match was the first EMU volleyball contest that went to five sets since Oct. 20, vs Central Michigan.
»Eastern Michigan surpassed 55 assists from a single player for the first time this season.
Historical Notes
» This was the 82nd all-time meeting between the Eagles and Cardinals. Ball State leads the all-time series 55-27.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles won the first point and held the lead the rest of the way to secure the first set 25-21. Eastern Michigan led by as many as five points at 23-18 before finishing off the set, collecting 18 kills while only registering two attack errors along the way.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan fell in the second set 25-17, where the Cardinals tied the match at one-set apiece. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as eight points and Ball State took the advantage for good at 9-8 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Cardinals regained the lead.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan bounced back following the second-set loss to take the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Eagles trailed by as many as six points, but took the lead for the remainder of set three at 24-23 in a set that showcased three lead changes before Eastern Michigan took over in the second half of the set. They then carried that lead to a 25-23 action-packed win. Eastern Michigan's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Ball State attacks from any further damage.
SET 4 | Eastern Michigan couldn't finish off a four-set win as the Cardinals forced a fifth set with a 25-19 victory. The Eagles fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before falling in the set.
SET 5 | Eastern Michigan and Ball State went back and forth all game, trading wins in the first three sets until the Cardinals took the final two sets, winning the fifth set 15-9, and the match. The Eagles trailed by as many as six points before dropping the fifth set.
Up Next
The Eastern Michigan travels to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to take on the Central Michigan Chippewas Wednesday Nov. 17 for its season finale. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET. The match can be streamed via ESPN+.
