Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, March 16
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
7-8,7-8MAC
3
at
2
Central Michigan
9-8,9-8MAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Eastern Mich.
16
17
25
25
15
3
Central Mich.
25
25
14
22
7
2
Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
Volleyball Completes Comeback to Defeat Central Michigan
3/16/2021 8:28:00 PM | Volleyball
Three Eagles recorded 10-plus kills in the 3-2 win
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Down by two sets, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team completed the comeback in five sets (16-25, 17-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-7) to defeat in-state rival Central Michigan University tonight, March 16, inside CMU's McGuirk Arena.
EMU (7-8, 7-8 MAC) boasted a .391 attack percentage (9-0-23) in the fifth set, while holding CMU (9-8, 9-8 MAC) to a -.030 hitting clip (9-10-33) in the third set. The victory also marks the 700th win in program historry.
Three Eagles finished the evening with double-figure kills. Senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) paced all players with 18 kills, while classmate April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) and sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) added 12 kills each, respectively. Houston also boasted a .423 attack percentage (12-1-26), while Basham led the team with four service aces.
Guiding the Eagles' offense was sophomore setter Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge), who recorded 44 assists. Freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) also contributed four helpers.
Leading the EMU defense was Hommes, who tallied 28 digs. Strefling and Otto also posted double-figure dig performances with 16 and 13, respectively. Additionally, redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) recorded a team-high seven blocks, while Basham added four.
Eastern Michigan finished the contest with a .238 attack percentage (55-16-164), compared to Central Michigan's .194 clip (61-26-180). The Eagles held the blocking advantage, 12-7. However, the Chippewas lead in every other statistical category: kills (61-55), assists (57-50), service aces (10-7), and digs (83-79).
Eastern Michigan struggled to find its offense in the first set, as Central Michigan posted an early 7-1 lead. Over the next few possessions, EMU sparked a 5-3 scoring drive to cut CMU's edge to four, 10-6. But, the Chippewas continued to pull away with a 9-9 stint to take the five-point lead, 20-15. Central ran away with the first set, 25-16.
Down one set, the scoring went back-and-forth to begin the second game as the Eagles trailed by one early, 6-5. CMU gained momentum with a 14-9 scoring drive and was the first team to 20 points. Eastern Michigan wasn't able to recover, losing the second set, 25-17. Central was up for the match, 2-1.
The Green and White found their groove in the third set with an early 8-5 advantage. However, CMU posted a 4-1 run to tie up the game at 9-all. Eastern Michigan turned up the heat offensively and went on a 16-5 scoring run to notch the third set.
Down 2-1 for the match, Eastern Michigan trailed early in the fourth set, 8-3. Central Michigan continued its offensive energy to gain the four-point lead, 11-7. The Eagles were on fire during the back half of the set, finishing on a 14-7 run to take the 25-14 victory to tie up the match at 2-apiece.
Tied at 2-2, the Eagles trailed 3-2 early, but gained momentum on a 6-1 run to claim the 8-4 edge in the fifth set. Eastern proceeded to record three straight points, highlighted by kills from Basham, Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy), and Strefling to force a CMU timeout. The Eagles finished the final set strong on a 3-0 run to claim the 15-7 victory and seal the 3-2 match win over the Chippewas.
Eastern Michigan will continue its five-match road stint Friday, March 19, at Miami University for a two-match series. Friday's match is slated for 7 p.m.
EMU (7-8, 7-8 MAC) boasted a .391 attack percentage (9-0-23) in the fifth set, while holding CMU (9-8, 9-8 MAC) to a -.030 hitting clip (9-10-33) in the third set. The victory also marks the 700th win in program historry.
Three Eagles finished the evening with double-figure kills. Senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) paced all players with 18 kills, while classmate April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest) and sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) added 12 kills each, respectively. Houston also boasted a .423 attack percentage (12-1-26), while Basham led the team with four service aces.
Guiding the Eagles' offense was sophomore setter Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge), who recorded 44 assists. Freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) also contributed four helpers.
Leading the EMU defense was Hommes, who tallied 28 digs. Strefling and Otto also posted double-figure dig performances with 16 and 13, respectively. Additionally, redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) recorded a team-high seven blocks, while Basham added four.
Eastern Michigan finished the contest with a .238 attack percentage (55-16-164), compared to Central Michigan's .194 clip (61-26-180). The Eagles held the blocking advantage, 12-7. However, the Chippewas lead in every other statistical category: kills (61-55), assists (57-50), service aces (10-7), and digs (83-79).
Eastern Michigan struggled to find its offense in the first set, as Central Michigan posted an early 7-1 lead. Over the next few possessions, EMU sparked a 5-3 scoring drive to cut CMU's edge to four, 10-6. But, the Chippewas continued to pull away with a 9-9 stint to take the five-point lead, 20-15. Central ran away with the first set, 25-16.
Down one set, the scoring went back-and-forth to begin the second game as the Eagles trailed by one early, 6-5. CMU gained momentum with a 14-9 scoring drive and was the first team to 20 points. Eastern Michigan wasn't able to recover, losing the second set, 25-17. Central was up for the match, 2-1.
The Green and White found their groove in the third set with an early 8-5 advantage. However, CMU posted a 4-1 run to tie up the game at 9-all. Eastern Michigan turned up the heat offensively and went on a 16-5 scoring run to notch the third set.
Down 2-1 for the match, Eastern Michigan trailed early in the fourth set, 8-3. Central Michigan continued its offensive energy to gain the four-point lead, 11-7. The Eagles were on fire during the back half of the set, finishing on a 14-7 run to take the 25-14 victory to tie up the match at 2-apiece.
Tied at 2-2, the Eagles trailed 3-2 early, but gained momentum on a 6-1 run to claim the 8-4 edge in the fifth set. Eastern proceeded to record three straight points, highlighted by kills from Basham, Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy), and Strefling to force a CMU timeout. The Eagles finished the final set strong on a 3-0 run to claim the 15-7 victory and seal the 3-2 match win over the Chippewas.
Eastern Michigan will continue its five-match road stint Friday, March 19, at Miami University for a two-match series. Friday's match is slated for 7 p.m.
Team Stats
EMU
CMU
Kills
55
61
Errors
16
26
Attempts
164
180
Hitting %
.238
.194
Points
74
78
Assists
50
57
Aces
7
10
Blocks
12
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
4
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Players Mentioned
OH/RS
/ Volleyball
OH/RS
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
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