Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
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Bowling Green
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Eagles Down First Place Bowling Green in Five-Set Thriller
10/21/2022 8:49:00 PM | Volleyball
Match goes down as biggest upset in NCAA D1 Volleyball this season
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team took down the league leader, Bowling Green State University, in a five-set thriller inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center, Friday, Oct. 21 in what could be considered the biggest upset of the 2022 Mid-American Conference season.
The 3-2 conference victory adds to Eastern Michigan's 4-18 overall record and 3-7 mark in MAC play.
The Eagles offense was paced by senior Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio.-Newark Catholic), who finished with 20 kills on the day, and by fellow senior Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario - Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic), who had 11 while hitting .292. Defensively, the Green and White had four players reach double figures in digs, highlighted by freshman Emma McMahon's (Monoreville, Ind.-Bellmont) 23, 12 from junior Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forrest Hills Northern), and 10 more from freshman Carlina Bender (Hudsonville, Mich.-Hudsonville). From the front row, Chase contributed six blocks. Additionally, sophomore Madeline Timmerman (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Crystal Lake) and senior Krista Blakely (Detroit, Mich.-University High School Academy) equally added four blocks each to the Eagles defense.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Despite great efforts early in the first set, the Eagles couldn't persevere past a furious Bowling Green rally, falling 25-21 after leading by eight points at 14-6 earlier in the stanza.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan tied the match at 1-1 after a 25-19 victory in the second set. The Eagles never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 in a set that showcased two lead changes before Eastern took over the lead.
SET 3 | Bowling Green responded to win set number three, putting Eastern Michigan in a two sets to one deficit. The Eagles fell in a tough set 25-16 and trailed by as many as nine points as Bowling Green grabbed the reigns at 5-4 in a set that was knotted up seven times before the Falcons took over the lead.
SET 4 | The Green and White then answered to secure the fourth set 25-17 to force a fifth. The Eagles led from the opening point on in the set to earn the victory and opened up as much as a nine point lead at 23-14 before closing out the stanza.
SET 5 | Down two sets to one, Eastern Michigan fought back to win sets four and five, culminating in a 15-9 fifth-set victory, to take the match 3-2. The Eagles grabbed control of the set-five lead at 3-2 and never looked back. Eastern Michigan led by as many as seven points at 13-6 before finishing off the set.
Match Notes
» Prior to the match, Bowling Green had an RPI ranking of 29, while Eastern Michigan was ranked 281. This makes the victory the biggest upset in all of NCAA Division 1 volleyball this season.
» Sophomore Kendall Burk (Bloomington, Ill.- University) and Hommes both led the Eagles in service aces with three apiece. Burk's three aces added to her total 17, placing the sophomore six service aces behind team-leader Basham who has 23 on the season.
» Basham's 20 kills on the match is good for the senior's season-high topping her previous 19 kills recorded Oct. 7, against Ohio University. This was Basham's 34th career match with double-digit kills, and her ninth of the season. Additionally, the Ohio native also collected a season-high 22.5 points.
» McMahon's 23 digs accounts for the freshman's 18th match with double-digit digs and her eighth consecutive. The rookie continues to lead the Eagles in digs with a total 330. Moreover, McMahon's 330 digs ranks eighth in the league and 109th nationally.
» Burk's 48 helpers in tonight's match overcomes the sophomores previous career-high 44 versus Ohio, Oct. 7. This feat marks the 19th match of the 2022 campaign in which the Illinois native has secured double-digit assists.
» Sophomore Mackenzie Gross (Grand Haven, Mich.
-Grand Haven) provided a career-high three blocks in the victory. Her previous best was two, set in three different matches. Additionally, the Michigan native collected a career-high 7.5 points.
» Prior to the match, the Falcons had been defeated only once in the 2022 MAC campaign. The Huskies of Northern Illinois University defeated the Falcons in four sets to give the league leaders their first loss of the conference season, Oct. 7. Eastern Michigan is now one of two MAC members to take a win from Bowling Green thus far.
Historical Notes
» Chase's six block assists in the match adds to her career total 300, which is good for eighth all-time in EMU volleyball program history. The senior is just two away from the No. 7 spot, held by Jennifer Swartz (2007-10). The all-time record leader for the statistic is held by Jill Hutton (1996-99), who registered a total 402 career block assists.
» EMU had four players in double figures in digs, the most in a single match thus far in the 2022 season. The last time the Green and White had four or more players in double-digit digs was Oct. 23, 2021 at Bowling Green. The four players highlighted that day included senior Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio- Pardua Fransican) (27) Hommes (17), and former Eagles Mackenzie Garis (12) and Jayden Otto (12).
» The last time Eastern Michigan saw a fifth set was in a loss against Coppin State University, Sept. 16. Previously to tonight's five-set victory, the last time EMU defeated their opponent in five was at Ohio, Oct. 8, 2021.
» The all-time series record against the Falcons moves to 38-26, in favor of BGSU. Tonight's win goes down as the 14th match in which the Eagles have defeated Bowling Green at home. Moreover, the last time the Green and White have come out victorious over the Ohio institution in a match decided by five sets was at Bowling Green, Oct. 17, 2015.
» The five-set thriller was head coach Darcy Dorton's first victory over Bowling Green in her time as head coach. Before today, Dorton was 0-5 with BGSU.
Up Next
After tonight's victory, the Eagles are set to face the Falcons once more, Saturday, Oct. 22 inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The match is scheduled to be streamed via ESPN3 with a first serve at 4 p.m.
