Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
3-17,2-6MAC
Miami
6-13,1-7MAC
EMU Volleyball Cages RedHawks in 3-0 Sweep
10/15/2022 6:42:00 PM | Volleyball
The Eagles collect their third sweep of the season
OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team continued its victory parade inside Millett Hall, located on the campus of Miami University, as the team registered its second-straight sweep over the RedHawks, Saturday, Oct. 15.
The 3-0 conference victory improved Eastern Michigan's record to 3-17 overall and 2-6 in MAC action.
Senior outside hitter Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio.-Newark Catholic) finished with 14 kills on the day to lead the Eagles attack. The Green and White collected 11 digs from freshman Emma McMahon (Monoreville, Ind.-Bellmont) along with seven blocks from senior outside hitter Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy) and six rejections from sophomore middle-blocker Madeline Timmerman (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Crystal Lake) to lead them defensively.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles opened up an early set lead, winning the first set 25-22. Eastern Michigan grabbed the advantage for good at 21-20 in a set that showcased three lead changes before the Eagles took over in the second half of the stanza. EMU also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set and showcased a solid defensive performance from the front row that blocked five Miami attacks.
SET 2 | After their win in the first set, Eastern Michigan put themselves on the cusp of a sweep with a 25-17 victory in set number two. The Eagles took the first point of the set and never looked back as they held control of the lea the entire set. Eastern Michigan opened up as much as a 12 point lead at 15-3 before finishing off the set. The Green and Whites offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Eastern's front row had another solid defense, blocking five Miami attacks.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan then capped the three-set sweep with a victory in set number three. The Eagles grabbed control of the set early when the score was 3-2 and kept the RedHawks in their rea view mirror taking the set 25-16. EMU ended on a strong note, opening up its biggest lead of the stanza, nine points, to finish off the set, collecting 16 kills . The Eastern Michigan offense also got a boost from another three aces in the stanza.
Match Notes
» The Eagles attack earned a .266 hitting percentage against the RedHawks, earning a team-season high. This was the third time the Green and White have hit above .250 in the 2022 campaign, the first coming against Toledo, Sept. 23 and the second at Miami, Oct. 14. Additionally, the Eagles have now out-hit their opponents in four-matches this season. Two of the four matches were recorded at Miami, Oct. 14-15, while the first came in their first victory, Sept. 16 against Radford University and the second against Kent State University, Oct. 8.
» Eastern Michigan has bested its opponent in the total blocks battle nine times this season. EMU collected a total 11 blocks in tonight's match compared to the RedHawks five.
» Blakely's seven blocks against the RedHawks marks as the seniors career-high. The Detroit native has previously registered six total blocks in five matches throughout her career.
» Basham's 14 kills on the match goes down as the eigth time this season that the senior has led the Eagles attack and is her 33rd match of her career with double-digit kills.
» Sophomore Kendall Burk (Bloomington, Ill.-University) provided 31 helpers to the Eagles offense. She leads the Eagles in total assist with 375.
» Junior Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern) provided a match-high four aces in the victory. The Michigan native defeated her previous career-high three aces which has been recorded in three separate matches during her three years at EMU. The first came in a home match against Ball State University, Mar. 27, 2021, with the second and third coming against Miami, Oct. 15, 2021, and Ball State, Nov. 13, 2021, respectively.
Historical Notes
» Coupled with yesterday's sweep over Miami, tonight's win marks the third sweep of the season for the Eagles, the first coming over Radford University, Sept. 16.
» Eastern Michigan now sports a 713-744-16 overall record and stands 282-368-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
» Under Head Coach Darcy Dorton, the Green and White now hold a 31-64 overall record and stand 20-42 in league play. The 3-0 victory is also the first time Dorton has swept a conference member since she took two from the University of Toledo, Oct. 11 at home (3-1) and Nov. 16 at Toledo, (3-0).
» The last time the Eagles recorded consecutive sweeps came in the 2018 season, when Eastern swept Toledo, Sept. 29, in their home court before defeating Northern Illinois University in their following match, Oct. 5, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
» Additionally, Dorton now holds a three-game win streak over the RedHawks, improving her record with the Oxford based team to 3-4.
Up Next
The Green and White will travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich., Wednesday, Oct. 19 for a midweek match up with the Chippewas of Central Michigan University before hosting the Falcons of Bowling Green State University, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 21-22 inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Wednesday's match is set for a
