Volleyball Begins Five-Match Road Trip at Bowling Green Thursday

Volleyball at Bowling Green
Dates	Thursday, March 11 at 4 p.m. \| Friday, March 12 at 4 p.m.
Venue	Bowling Green, Ohio \| Stroh Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Television	ESPN3 (Thurs.) \| ESPN+ (Fri.)
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Twitter	@EMUVolleyball \| @EMUAthletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team begins a five-match road stint with a two-match series at Bowling Green State University, starting Thursday, March 11. Both matches are slated for 4 p.m. inside the Stroh Center.
   Eastern Michigan (6-6, 6-6 MAC) earned its way back into the win column with a three-set sweep over Ohio, March 8. The Eagles have won three of the last four matches, which includes two three-set victories. Bowling Green (13-0, 13-0 MAC) remains undefeated in Mid-American Conference play as the Falcons bested Central Michigan in two matches (3-0, 3-1), March 4-5. BGSU made history with its 3-1 win over CMU, March 5, to mark its best start in program history.
   Fans can catch Thursday's match on ESPN3, while Friday's game will be aired on ESPN+. As always, fans can also follow along on EMUEagles.com/livestats or on Twitter by following @EMUVolleyball.

AMONG THE LEADERS: Eastern Michigan leads the Mid-American Conference averaging 18.9 digs per set, which ranks 11th in the NCAA. The Green and White are averaging 39.4 attacks per set, good for second in the league and 17th among Division I programs.
   Individually, senior Franki Strefling leads the MAC in kills per set (4.59), and ranks second in points per set (4.85). Her 4.59 kills-per-set average also ranks 17th in the nation. Redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase also leads the MAC, averaging 1.42 blocks per set, which is good for 17th in the NCAA. Additionally, sophomore Jayden Otto is fourth with 10.7 assists per set while, freshman Bella Hommes is sixth averaging 4.94 digs per set.

ELITE GROUP: Senior Franki Strefling joined an elite group in EMU's 3-0 win over Ohio, March 8. The outside hitter's first kill of the match secured her 1,000th career kill. She also surpassed 1,000 career digs in a 3-1 victory at Northern Illinois, Feb. 11. Strefling is the sixth EMU volleyball player to reach both 1,000 digs and kills in her career, and the first since Becky Baltare (2002-05).

WELCOME TO THE CLUB: Senior Franki Strefling reached another milestone in EMU's three-set sweep against Ohio, March 8. Her first kill of the match resulted in the 1,000th of her career. The outside hitter is the 13th EMU volleyball player to accomplish this feat. The Niles, Mich. native currently has 1,014 career kills, and needs 188 more to break the top-10 in program history.
   Strefling leads the Green and White in total kills (211), and ranks first in the Mid-American Conference with a 4.59 kills-per-set average.

PICKING UP THE DEFENSE: Sophomore Kamryn Stilwell has been providing a spark on the defensive end of the floor over the last five games. Stilwell has posted seven-or-more digs in each of the last five contests, including a career-high 13 against Ohio, March 8.
   Prior to this stretch, Stilwell had posted more than seven digs just once this season. The sophomore is now up to 67 on the season.

ACE, ACE BABY: Sophomore Samantha Basham tied a career-high with three service aces in EMU's 3-0 victory over Ohio, March 8. The outside hitter has tallied at least one ace in eight matches this season and has led the team in the category six times.
   Basham leads the team with 13 service aces (0.28 per match) and boasts a .855 serving percentage.

KILLS ON KILLS: Eastern Michigan posted 40 kills in its 3-0 win over Ohio, March 8. The 40 kills ties for the most in a three-set match this season. The Eagles also recorded 40 kills in a three-set sweep over Toledo, March 5.
   EMU is undefeated (5-0) this year when tallying more kills than their opponents. Under Head Coach Darcy Dorton, the Green and White are 16-4 when holding the kills advantage.

WINNING EARLY: When taking the first two sets, Eastern Michigan has better luck in the win column. The Eagles are 4-0 when they win the first two games of the match. In the Darcy Dorton era (2019-present), the Green and White is 13-0 when claiming the first two sets.

MAKIN' HISTORE: Eastern Michigan is one win away from reaching 700 wins in the program's 44-year history. The Eagles hold a 699-701-16 overall record.
   The 1990 squad holds the program wins record with 30 victories. That team became the first EMU volleyball squad to reach a postseason tournament, when the Green and White played in the Women's Invitational Volleyball Championship. The Green and White later claimed the MAC West Division title in 2005, while the Eagles notched their first Mid-American Conference Tournament title in 2018 to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

BLOCK PARTY: Redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase leads the Mid-American Conference averaging 1.42 blocks per set (54 total). Her 1.42 blocks-per-set average also ranks 17th in the nation. The middle blocker notched a career-high nine blocks (1-8) in a five-set win over Buffalo, Feb. 26. Her nine-block performance ties for fourth in Convocation Center history.
   The Toronto, Ontario native has led the Eagles in blocks nine times this season. Chase has 123 career blocks (20-103).

KILLIN' IT: Redshirt freshman Krista Blakely posted a career-high eight kills against Toledo, March 5. Along with her personal-best in kills, Blakely posted a .357 hitting percentage and four blocks. She followed that performance up with another strong outing against the Rockets the following afternoon, adding another seven kills.
   Blakely ranks fifth on the team averaging 1.50 kills per set and second with 0.85 blocks per set.

FIRST SWEEP: Eastern Michigan notched its first sweep of the 2021 spring season in the series opener against Toledo, March 5. The Eagles tallied 40 kills and boasted a .248 attack percentage (17-6-38) in the third set. EMU held the Rockets to 24 kills, which was a season low for a three-set match.
   Four Eagles posted six-or-more kills and were led by senior Franki Strefling, who recorded 10. Fellow senior April Houston and redshirt freshman Krista Blakely each added eight, while redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase tallied six.

OTTO-MATIC: This season, sophomore Jayden Otto has taken over as the "quarterback" of the Eastern Michigan offense. The setter has tallied 40-plus assists in seven of the last 10 matches, and has 50-or-more assists in three contests. Most recently, she tallied 34 dimes in EMU's three-set sweep over Ohio, March 8.
   Otto leads the team averaging 10.7 assists per set, which ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference.

STREFLING ON FIRE: Senior Franki Strefling has been on fire offensively and defensively over the first 12 matches for the shortened 2020-21 spring season. The outside hitter has recorded eight double-doubles with her most recent performance (15 kills, 14 digs) against Ohio, March 8.
   Strefling tallied a career-high 26 kills versus the Bulls in the series opener, Feb. 25. Her 26-kill outing is tied for seventh in Convocation Center history. The senior has led the Eagles in kills eight times this year, including four 20-plus kill performances.
   The Niles, Mich. native leads the team in kills (211) and ranks second in digs (189). Strefling's 4.59 kills-per-set average leads the Mid-American Conference, and her 4.85 points-per-set average is good for second.

BOWLING GREEN RECEIVING VOTES: Bowling Green received 13 votes in the AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, the organization announced, March 8. The Falcons are the only Mid-American Conference team that earned votes.

SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN: Led by ninth-year Head Coach Danijela Tomic, Bowling Green enters the week's two-match series undefeated in Mid-American Conference (13-0) and is off to its best start in program history. The Falcons claimed two wins over Central Michigan (3-0, 3-1), March 4-5. BGSU has posted seven three-set sweeps this season and has only gone to five sets four times.
   BGSU is paced offensively by Katelyn Meyer, who has a team-best 190 total kills for a 4.04 kills-per-set average. Meyer is followed by Petra Indrova and Jacqueline Askin with 3.59 and 3.06 kills per set, respectively.
Guiding the Falcons' attack is Hanna Laube, who is averaging 11.4 assists per set. Her aps average ranks second in the MAC and 12th among Division I volleyball student-athletes. Laube also leads the conference with 557 total assists, which is also good for 11th in the NCAA. Defensively, Bowling Green is led by Julia Walz with 5.2 digs per set, which is good for fourth in the league. Walz also leads the Orange and Brown with 0.43 service aces per set. Additionally, Katie Kidwell has tallied a team-best 44 blocks (1.10 bps).
    Bowling Green averages 13.9 kills per set, which ranks second in the MAC. The Falcons boast a .236 attack percentage (680-235-1886) and holds opponents to a league-best .157 hit percentage (569-280-1846). BGSU leads the MAC in both assists per set (13.1) and service aces (1.63). Additionally, Bowling Green is giving up 11.6 opponent kills, which also ranks first in the conference.

ALL-TIME VERSUS BOWLING GREEN: Thursday and Friday's matches will be the 63rd and 64th meetings between the Eagles and Falcons in program history. Eastern Michigan trails in the all-time series, 28-34. EMU fell to BGSU in five sets during the 2019 season, Oct. 19. Bowling Green has won four of the last five meetings and holds the 6-4 advantage over the last 10 contests.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE MAC: The Green and White holds a 274-342-1 program mark against Mid-American Conference teams. Eastern has played Western Michigan the most (93 times), while facing Central Michigan 89 times, and Ball State 78 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 11-16 MAC record.

DOUBLE MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eastern Michigan posted two MAC West Player of the Week honors, the league announced, March 1. Senior Franki Strefling earned MAC West Offensive Player of the Week, while redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase received the Defensive Player of the Week honor. The award was Strefling's second in her career and a first for Chase.
   Strefling, an outside hitter, tallied 50 kills in two matches against Buffalo, Feb. 25-26, which included a career-high 26 kills in the series-opener against the Bulls. She boasted a .331 hitting percentage (50-11-118) in 10 sets and averaged 3.40 digs per set. The senior paced the Eagles with a career-high 26 kills and a .356 hitting percentage (26-5-59) in a 3-2 loss to UB, Feb. 25. Strefling also contributed 11 digs en route of her fifth double-double of the season. The following day, she continued her momentum by recording 24 kills and 23 digs in a five-set victory against the Bulls.
   Chase, a middle blocker, notched 16 total blocks (1-15) in 10 sets versus Buffalo, Feb. 25-26. The redshirt sophomore tied a then career-best seven blocks (0-7) and added eight kills in the series opener against UB. The following day, Chase tallied a personal-best nine blocks (1-8) and recorded nine kills in EMU's 3-2 win over Buffalo.

CAN YOU DIG IT?: Freshman Bella Hommes continues to prove herself as Eastern Michigan's libero. The freshman notched a career-high 32 digs in EMU's 3-1 loss at Akron, Feb. 18. In the second match against the Zips, Feb. 19, Hommes tallied another 30-plus dig performance finishing with 31.
   The defensive specialist has recorded double-figure digs in 10 of the last 11 matches, including two matches with 30+. Hommes has led the team in digs eight times this season and leads the team with 232 digs total, averaging 4.94 dps. Her digs-per-set average ranks sixth in the conference.

1,000-DIG CLUB: Senior Franki Strefling surpassed 1,000 career digs in EMU's 3-1 victory over Northern Illinois, Feb. 11. The outside hitter only needed 13 digs going into the match against the Huskies and ended the evening with a career-high 26 digs. Strefling is the 17th EMU volleyball player to accomplish this feat.
   The Niles, Mich. native has 1,148 career digs and ranks second on the team this season with 189 digs (4.11 dps).

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A (GOOD) PROBLEM: Senior April Houston tied a career-best with 16 kills in a four-set win at Akron, Feb. 19. The middle blocker boasted a .316 hitting percentage (16-4-38) and added two digs to her statline.
   The game against the Zips was the first time Houston has led the team in kills this season. The senior is tied for second on the team with 104 total kills (2.31 kps).

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will continue its five-match road trip with a visit to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami University starting Friday, March 19. Friday's match is slated for 7 p.m. This will be the first meeting between EMU and MU this season.

Volleyball Begins Five-Match Road Trip at Bowling Green Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Samantha Basham

Krista Blakely

Raeven Chase

Bella Hommes

April Houston

Jayden Otto

Kamryn Stilwell

Franki Strefling

Eastern Michigan Athletics