Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 26
Convocation Center
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
7-12,7-12MAC
0
vs
3
Ball State
9-11,9-11MAC
1
2
3
F
Ball St.
25
25
25
3
Eastern Mich.
18
18
16
0
Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
Volleyball Falls to Ball State in Straight Sets
3/26/2021 7:47:00 PM | Volleyball
Jayden Otto led EMU with 29 assists
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) –– The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fell to Ball State University in three sets (18-25, 18-25, 16-25), Friday, March 26, inside the Convocation Center. With the setback, the Eagles drop to 7-12 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Cardinals improve to 9-11.
The Eagles' offense was led by senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan), who collected 12 kills, while adding six digs. Aiding the attack was senior April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest), who added eight kills. Quarterbacking the offense was sophomore setter Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge), who tallied 29 assists.
Defensively, sophomore Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis.-Mukwonago) led the way with 12 digs, while Otto and freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) added nine and eight digs, respectively.
The Cardinals opened the contest on a 7-2 run, which was ended by a Strefling kill. Ball State continued to apply pressure on offense throughout the set, eventually going ahead 17-7. A Houston kill sparked a 4-0 run for EMU to bring the score to 17-11, and the Green and White got as close as 21-17, which forced a Cardinals' timeout. Out of the break, however, Ball State took control and closed out the set, 25-18. Houston and Strefling each collected three kills in the game.
The Cardinals picked up right where they left off as they opened the second set with a 5-1 run. A Jansky kill sparked a 3-0 Eagles run that brought the score to 5-4. The Green and White were able to keep it close early on, trailing 9-8 before the Cardinals made their move. A quick 4-0 run for Ball State pushed the Eagles' deficit to five and forced them to call a timeout. Eastern came out of the timeout with a vengeance, posting a 6-3 run to cut the Cardinals' advantage to 16-14. Not to be outdone, the Cardinals embarked on a 9-4 run to close out the set (25-18) and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Eagles got off to a better start to open the third set, jumping out to a 4-2 lead. But as it had all night, Ball State had an answer and took control of the set. Trailing by two, the Cardinals went on a 7-1 run to take a 9-5 advantage, which forced an EMU timeout. Out of the timeout, Ball State added another point before a Chase kill stopped the bleeding. The Eagles fought back, trimming the lead to 10-8, but Ball State had yet another run to increase its lead to 18-10. With a healthy lead intact, the Cardinals were able to close out the set, 25-16, and take the match, 3-0.
The Eagles will finish up their shortened season with a late afternoon tilt against Ball State, Saturday, March 27. First serve is set for 4 p.m on ESPN3.
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.
The Eagles' offense was led by senior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan), who collected 12 kills, while adding six digs. Aiding the attack was senior April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest), who added eight kills. Quarterbacking the offense was sophomore setter Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge), who tallied 29 assists.
Defensively, sophomore Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis.-Mukwonago) led the way with 12 digs, while Otto and freshman Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) added nine and eight digs, respectively.
The Cardinals opened the contest on a 7-2 run, which was ended by a Strefling kill. Ball State continued to apply pressure on offense throughout the set, eventually going ahead 17-7. A Houston kill sparked a 4-0 run for EMU to bring the score to 17-11, and the Green and White got as close as 21-17, which forced a Cardinals' timeout. Out of the break, however, Ball State took control and closed out the set, 25-18. Houston and Strefling each collected three kills in the game.
The Cardinals picked up right where they left off as they opened the second set with a 5-1 run. A Jansky kill sparked a 3-0 Eagles run that brought the score to 5-4. The Green and White were able to keep it close early on, trailing 9-8 before the Cardinals made their move. A quick 4-0 run for Ball State pushed the Eagles' deficit to five and forced them to call a timeout. Eastern came out of the timeout with a vengeance, posting a 6-3 run to cut the Cardinals' advantage to 16-14. Not to be outdone, the Cardinals embarked on a 9-4 run to close out the set (25-18) and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Eagles got off to a better start to open the third set, jumping out to a 4-2 lead. But as it had all night, Ball State had an answer and took control of the set. Trailing by two, the Cardinals went on a 7-1 run to take a 9-5 advantage, which forced an EMU timeout. Out of the timeout, Ball State added another point before a Chase kill stopped the bleeding. The Eagles fought back, trimming the lead to 10-8, but Ball State had yet another run to increase its lead to 18-10. With a healthy lead intact, the Cardinals were able to close out the set, 25-16, and take the match, 3-0.
The Eagles will finish up their shortened season with a late afternoon tilt against Ball State, Saturday, March 27. First serve is set for 4 p.m on ESPN3.
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
BSU
EMU
Kills
49
34
Errors
12
20
Attempts
122
119
Hitting %
.303
.118
Points
62
38
Assists
46
34
Aces
3
2
Blocks
10
2
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
DS
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH
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