Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-20,3-9MAC
Buffalo
14-10,6-6MAC
EMU Volleyball Reaches Fourth Set with Buffalo
10/28/2022 7:58:00 PM | Volleyball
Krista Blakely registers season-high 16 kills
BUFFALO, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team forced a fourth set on the University at Buffalo, Friday, Oct. 28, in a 3-1 setback inside the Alumni Arena located on the Bull's campus.
The 3-1 conference loss moves Eastern Michigan's overall record to 4-20 with a 3-9 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
The Eagles' attack was paced by senior Krista Blakely (Detroit,Mich.-University High School Academy), who finished with 16 kills on the match while accumulating a hitting percentage of .333. Fellow senior Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) trailed with 10. Defensively, the Green and White registered two players in double figures in digs as freshman Emma McMahon (Monoreville, Ind.-Bellmont) had 20 and sophomore Kendall Burk (Bloomington, Ill.-University) had 10.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early deficit, dropping a tough first set, 25-13. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 12 points as Buffalo grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that was tied up six times before the Bulls took control.
SET 2 | The Green and White then dropped set two, 25-16, digging a 2-0 hole in the match. The team trailed by as many as nine points as Buffalo took the lead at 4-3 in a set that was tied up twice.
SET 3 | Eastern fought back to pull within two sets to one, winning their first set of the match in the third stanza. The Eagles grabbed control of the set early when the score was 2-1 and held the lead the rest of the way to win 25-20. EMU led by as many as six points at 14-8 before closing out the stanza, totaling 16 kills in the set.
SET 4 | Despite their efforts, the Eagles couldn't keep the rally going and fell in set four, 25-14, to drop the match. The team lost the first point and couldn't claw back into the lead before losing the set.
Match Notes
» Basham had a team-high three aces in the loss. This is the third match of the 2022 campaign in which the Ohio native has registered three aces. She continues to lead the Green and White in aces with 26 on the season and 71 in her career.
» Blakely's 16 kills against the Bulls' defense marks as a season-high for the senior, topping her 15 against Xavier University during the Xavier Invitational, Sept. 3. Additionally, the 16 tonight was shy just one kill from the Detroit native's career-high 17 kills set against Miami University, Oct. 15, 2021. It was also her sixth double figure in kills of the season and 17th of her career.
» The team collected a team-high 20 digs from McMahon. The rookie is a consistent passer for the team as the 20 digs in tonight's match marks her 21st contest recording double-figures in digs. Additionally, McMahon is en route to top her longest match streak with consecutive double-digit digs. Directly after the season-opener against the University of Louisiana, Aug. 26, she went on to collect double-digit digs in 11 straight contests. Tomorrow's match with the Zips could be the freshman's streak equalizer.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a team-high 36 assists from Burk, who has been their go-to setter in the tail end of the season. The sophomore leads the Eagles with 521 career helpers which have all come within the 2022 campaign. The Illinois-native has registered double-digit assists in all but one match that she has appeared in thus far.
» Burk's 10 digs coupled with her 36 helpers' marks as the sophomore's third double-double in her career. Her previous two were set at Ball State University, Sept. 30 (37 assists, 11 digs), and versus Ohio University, Oct. 7 (44 assists, 11 digs), respectively.
Historical Notes
» Despite the setback, the Eagles remain in control of the all-time record against the Bulls, 22-8.
» The Eagles have come back to take the third set against its opponent after dropping the first two in five total contests during the 2022 season. Being that all four of Eastern's wins have come in either a sweep or a five-set thriller, the Green and White are 0-5 in those said contests.
» Under head coach Darcy Dorton, the team is now 2-3 against the Bulls.
Up Next
The Eagles take action once again, Saturday, Oct. 29 with a meeting against the University of Akron Zips in Akron, Ohio. The match will be streamed via ESPN+ and is set to begin at 5 p.m.
