Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, March 11
Bowling Green, Ohio
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
6-7,6-7MAC
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Bowling Green
14-0,14-0MAC
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Eastern Mich.
20
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Bowling Green
25
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Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
Volleyball Drops MAC Affair at Bowling Green
3/11/2021 5:39:00 PM | Volleyball
Franki Strefling led the Eagles with eight kills and 15 digs
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fell to the top Mid-American Conference squad, Bowling Green State University, in straight sets (20-25, 13-25, 17-25) this afternoon, March 11, inside BGSU's Stroh Center. With the setback, EMU drops to 6-7 in conference play, while Bowling Green remains undefeated, with a 14-0 MAC mark.
Senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) led the Eagles' attack with eight kills, while classmate April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) and sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) added six and five, respectively.
Quarterbacking the EMU offense was sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge), who tallied 23 assists to go along with seven digs and two kills.
Defensively, EMU was paced by Strefling who recorded 15 digs. Freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) also posted double figures with 10 digs, while sophomore Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis.-Mukwonago) garnered nine. Basham and redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) each added two blocks on the afternoon.
Eastern Michigan struggled offensively, as the Eagles posted a .075 attack percentage (20-22-107), while Bowling Green boasted a .307 percentage (44-9-114). The Green and White held the advantage in digs (52-47), but the Falcons led in every other statistical category: kills (44-30), assists (41-30), service aces (4-2), and total blocks (6.0-3.0).
The scoring went back-and-forth to start the opening set with the score tied at 3-all. However, Eastern Michigan posted a 4-1 run highlighted by two Chase kills to take the 7-4 advantage. Over the next few possessions, Bowling Green regained the 10-9 lead after a 6-2 scoring drive. The Falcons began to spark its offense, as BGSU went on a 12-6 run to force an EMU timeout. Eastern attempted to generate some offensive fire, but couldn't contain Bowling Green who took the first set, 25-20.
Down one set, the Eagles struggled to get their offense going as the Falcons posted a 7-0 run to take the 7-1 lead in the second game. Bowling Green continued its momentum and took its largest lead of the second set on a 11-4 run to hold the 18-5 advantage. EMU tallied five kills over eight possessions in attempt to cut Bowling Green's lead, but the Falcons ran away with set two, 25-13. BGSU held the 2-0 edge for the match.
Eastern Michigan started to find momentum in the third set, as the Green and White posted an early 8-6 lead showcased by two Jansky kills. The scoring continued to go back-and-forth with two ties until the Falcons went on a 4-0 run to take the 13-10 lead. BGSU sustained its spark for the seven-point lead (22-15) on a 9-5 scoring stint. The Eagles posted back-to-back points over the next two possessions, but Bowling Green captured the set, 25-17. The Falcons claimed the match, 3-0.
Eastern Michigan will be back in action Friday, March 12, for the second match in a two-day series at Bowling Green. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. inside the Stroh Center and will be aired on ESPN+.
For more information on Eastern Michigan volleyball, follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/EMUVolleyball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/EMUVB, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/emu_volleyball.
Senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) led the Eagles' attack with eight kills, while classmate April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) and sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) added six and five, respectively.
Quarterbacking the EMU offense was sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge), who tallied 23 assists to go along with seven digs and two kills.
Defensively, EMU was paced by Strefling who recorded 15 digs. Freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) also posted double figures with 10 digs, while sophomore Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis.-Mukwonago) garnered nine. Basham and redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) each added two blocks on the afternoon.
Eastern Michigan struggled offensively, as the Eagles posted a .075 attack percentage (20-22-107), while Bowling Green boasted a .307 percentage (44-9-114). The Green and White held the advantage in digs (52-47), but the Falcons led in every other statistical category: kills (44-30), assists (41-30), service aces (4-2), and total blocks (6.0-3.0).
The scoring went back-and-forth to start the opening set with the score tied at 3-all. However, Eastern Michigan posted a 4-1 run highlighted by two Chase kills to take the 7-4 advantage. Over the next few possessions, Bowling Green regained the 10-9 lead after a 6-2 scoring drive. The Falcons began to spark its offense, as BGSU went on a 12-6 run to force an EMU timeout. Eastern attempted to generate some offensive fire, but couldn't contain Bowling Green who took the first set, 25-20.
Down one set, the Eagles struggled to get their offense going as the Falcons posted a 7-0 run to take the 7-1 lead in the second game. Bowling Green continued its momentum and took its largest lead of the second set on a 11-4 run to hold the 18-5 advantage. EMU tallied five kills over eight possessions in attempt to cut Bowling Green's lead, but the Falcons ran away with set two, 25-13. BGSU held the 2-0 edge for the match.
Eastern Michigan started to find momentum in the third set, as the Green and White posted an early 8-6 lead showcased by two Jansky kills. The scoring continued to go back-and-forth with two ties until the Falcons went on a 4-0 run to take the 13-10 lead. BGSU sustained its spark for the seven-point lead (22-15) on a 9-5 scoring stint. The Eagles posted back-to-back points over the next two possessions, but Bowling Green captured the set, 25-17. The Falcons claimed the match, 3-0.
Eastern Michigan will be back in action Friday, March 12, for the second match in a two-day series at Bowling Green. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. inside the Stroh Center and will be aired on ESPN+.
For more information on Eastern Michigan volleyball, follow the team's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/EMUVolleyball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/EMUVB, or on Instagram at Instagram.com/emu_volleyball.
Team Stats
EMU
BGSU
Kills
30
44
Errors
22
9
Attempts
107
114
Hitting %
.075
.307
Points
35
54
Assists
30
41
Aces
2
4
Blocks
3
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
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