EMU Volleyball set to host both Ohio and Kent state

Volleyball vs. Ohio/Kent State
Date	Friday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. \| Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m.
Venue	George Gervin GameAbove Center \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Watch	ESPN 3
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUVolleyball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team continues Mid-American Conference play Friday-Saturday, Oct. 7-8, when it plays host to two East Division league members, Ohio University and Kent State University. The first serve on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. against the Bobcats with a 4 p.m. start against the Golden Flashes the next day.
      Both matches are slated to be streamed via ESPN3 with Greg Steiner (play-by-play) and Janet Hinz (color analyst) on the call. Of course, you can follow the action for free all season long via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats.

QUICK HITS:
» Eastern Michigan is playing its 47th competitive season and sports a 711-742-16 overall record and stands 280-366-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
» Dating back to 1975, the start of the EMU volleyball program, the team has earned one MAC West Division title (2005), one MAC Tournament crown (2018), and has had one appearance in the NCAA Tournament (2018).
» The program's 47th season began with Head Coach Darcy Dorton announcing the promotion of Assistant Coach Tyler Golsteyn to Associate Head Coach back in early May 2022. Additionally, former standout at Purdue University and All-American libero Jena Otec joined the staff in mid-April as the final piece of the dream team.
» Under Dorton, who took the reigns in 2019 as the programs ninth head coach, the Green and White hold a 29-62 overall record and stand 18-40 in league play.
» This season, the Eagles opened their nest to four "true" freshman, and three transfers to complete their "soar of eagles", with key returners such as Raeven Chase, and Samantha Basham. In the 2021 campaign, Chase led the conference in total blocks (135) while Basham posted a total of 361 kills. Both were named to All-MAC teams with Chase earning first, and Basham second.
» Leading the team in kills with 150 on the year is senior Samantha Basham. Junior setter Olivia Szylar tops the Green and White in both assists (323) and service aces (16) while freshman Emma McMahon leads the way with 223 digs and fifth year senior Raeven Chase sits atop with 58 total blocks.

EAGLES IN THE MAC: Five Eagles are currently ranked in the top 50 in various statistical categories throughout the Mid-American Conference. With the highest ranking, Raeven Chase is fifth in the league in total blocks (58), and seventh in blocks per set (0.98). The fifth-year senior also holds the 30th position in kills per set (2.20). Also, in the kills per set category is senior Samantha Basham (2.38) ranking 27th, with senior Krista Blakely (1.98) ranking 36th and freshman Sabrina Gremm (1.96) following in 37th. On the defensive end, freshman Emma McMahon currently ranks seventh in the league for total digs (223).

POST MATCH NOTES 9/30/22 (BALL STATE):
» In its first meeting of the 2022 series with Ball State University, Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in digs. Freshman Carlina Bender led the Eagles in her first match recording double-digit digs and a new career-high 16, while fellow rookie Emma McMahon registered 14 and sophomore setter Kendall Burk collected a career-high 11. This feat has only been done once more in the 2022 campaign coming against Fairfield University, Aug. 26, when McMahon, senior Kamryn Stilwell, and freshman Sabrina Gremm all registered double-digit digs.
» Outside hitter, Samantha Basham led the team in kills for the fourth time in the 2022 season with16. This was the seventh contest of the season in which the veteran has recorded double-digit kills and 31st of her career. Furthermore, her 16 kills against the Cardinals was the most from any player on either side and is just the second match in 2022 she has recorded 15+ kills. The senior was short just one attack of her season-high 17 kills which came against the University of Louisiana, Aug. 26, with her career high 23 kills being set at Ohio University, Oct. 8, 2021.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a team-high 37 assists from setter Kendall Burk. The 37 helpers bettered her previous career-high 23 assists set against Coppin State University, Sept. 16, and was also her 12th match of the 2022 season in which the sophomore has recorded double digit assists. Additionally, Burk earned a new career-high in kills (2), total attempts (4), and digs (11).
» Eastern bested its opponent in the total blocks battle for the fifth time this season. The Eagles put up 17 total blocks against the Cardinals nine. Additionally, the 17 blocks from the Green and White ranked as a new team-high in 2022. Prior to the match, EMU's season high 15 total blocks was recorded against Louisiana, Aug. 26. Leading the Eagles was senior middle blocker Raeven Chase who collected six block assists for her ninth match of the 2022 season as the leader in blocks.
» Despite the loss, EMU managed to take the first set off the Cardinals, 25-23. The last time EMU was victorious in the first set was in the 3-0 win over Radford University, Sept. 16. Under Dorton, the Eagles are 23-17 when they win the first set.

POST MATCH NOTES 10/1/22 (BALL STATE):
» Outside hitter Samantha Basham had a team-high two aces in the match, adding to her season total of 15. She now trails junior setter Olivia Szylar by one who leads the Eagles in service aces with 16. Additionally, with her two aces in the loss, the Ohio native now holds 63 total career service aces and was shy just one ace of her season-high, set against the University of Toledo, Sept. 23.
» Leading the Eagles' attack for the third time this season was graduate student Callie Minshew with eight kills. Prior to this match, the Mississippi State University transfer was five kills away from reaching her 500-career kills. Now, Minshew is at 503.
» Under Head Coach Darcy Dorton, the Eagles are now 1-6 against Ball State with the lone victory coming at home, March 27, 2021 when the Green and White defeated the Cardinals in five sets. The overall record between the two schools moves to 28-58, in favor of BSU.

MATCH THEMES: The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in efforts to support and raise money for the cause, the Eastern Michigan volleyball team is a proud partner of the Side-Out Foundation and will begin the "Dig Pink" Initiative with its match against Ohio, Friday, Oct. 7. A QR code will be provided in-game as well as on the EMU Volleyball social media accounts for anyone interested in donating to the cause through Eastern volleyball. Fans are encouraged to wear pink throughout the month of October.

SCOUTING OHIO: The Athens, Ohio based team currently holds an 8-7 overall record, and 2-2 MAC mark. The Bobcats opened their 2022 season with two tough 0-3 losses to Big East Conference member Marquette University, and No. 11 University of Kentucky of the SEC. The Green and White recovered, taking victories in their next five matches before falling to Tennessee Tech University in a four-set match. Fast forwarding to league play, Ohio started strong with two wins over Miami University before falling to the league leader, Bowling Green State University in two night matches. The Bobcats are scheduled to face Central Michigan University, Thursday, Oct. 6 before heading to Ypsilanti, Mich.

ALL-TIME VS. OHIO: Eastern trails Ohio 19-36, dating back to their first meeting in 1980. The Eagles took a 2-1 victory over the Bobcats at home, Oct. 17, 1980 to begin the all-time series. Over the years, the Green and White of Eastern Michigan have swept the Green and White of Ohio a total of nine times. The last three matches have been in favor of the Eagles as their 2019 victory broke a 17-year win streak for OU which started in 2002.
      In their last match up, the Eagles traveled to Athens, Ohio and returned home with a 3-2 victory, Oct. 8, 2021, in which then-sophomore Samantha Basham, registered what is still her career-high 23 kills and 10 digs, earning a double-double on the match. At the time, redshirt freshman Krista Blakely added 11 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, then-sophomore Kamryn Stilwell chipped in for EMU with 17 digs to go with five blocks from then-redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase. Additionally, Head Coach Darcy Dorton is 3-0 against Ohio since her promotion in 2019, which is the best record against a MAC school under Dorton.

SCOUTING KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes of Kent State University currently possess a 10-5 overall record, and 1-3 mark in league play. The Kent, Ohio based team opened its 2022 season with two back-to-back four-set wins over the University of Albany, and Robert Morris University. The programs first loss of 2022 came against James Madison University, when the Golden Flashes fell in five sets. Moving into conference play, KSU started with a three-match losing streak, dropping two to Bowling Green State University, and one to Miami University before collecting their first conference victory in the second match of the series with Miami. Similar to Ohio, Kent State will make a pit-stop in Mount Pleasant, Mich. to take on the Chippewas of Central Michigan, Oct. 7, before heading to Ypsilanti, Mich. for a 4 p.m. date with the Eagles.

ALL-TIME VS. KENT STATE: The Eagles hold an overall record of 37-22-1 against the Golden Flashes and have evenly split the last 10 match ups. EMU dominated Kent State for six consecutive matches from 2001 to 2006 and has almost evened out ever since. While leading the Golden Flashes all-time, the Eagles managed to sweep the Kent, Ohio based program 19 out of the 37 wins (.514).
      The last time the Eagles flew against each other was in 2021, when the Eagles pushed a fourth-set on the Golden Flashes inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, Ohio. The Eastern offense was paced by then-redshirt freshman Krista Blakely, who finished with a then-personal-best 14 kills on the day. Then-redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase added 12 kills to the EMU attack. Defensively, the Green and White had two players reach double figures in digs as then-sophomore Kamryn Stilwell had 24 and former Eagle Jayden Otto had 11. From the front row, Chase contributed five blocks.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL: At the conclusion of regular-season play, the top six teams in the MAC standings will earn nods into the MAC Tournament with the highest seed gaining home court advantage. The start of the tournament will see the bottom four duke it out for a chance at the top two-seeded. In instances where two teams are tied for a top-six position, the team with a better overall record would win the tie. Furthermore, in cases where the two institutions are also knotted in overall records, the team who performed best against the higher seeded teams within the regular season will get the upper hand.
      Through the first two weeks of conference play, Bowling Green State University holds the upper hand with a solid 4-0 mark in league play and is the only institution to be without a conference loss thus far. Northern Illinois University, who is 4-1 in the MAC, follows ranking second after being handed its first conference loss in a 0-3 setback at the University at Buffalo, Oct. 1. Despite the early 0-4 record, the Green and White still have 14 conference matches left in the regular season to earn a berth into the MAC tournament. The Eagles hope to earn their first two league victories of the season over Ohio (2-2) who is holding the seventh spot and Kent State (1-3) in the nine hole.

FIRST-SET WINS: Against Ball State University, Sept. 30, the Eagles took the first set off the Cardinals in a close 25-23 stanza. This was the sixth time in the 2022 campaign that the Green and White have opened the match with a set win (1-5). Under Dorton, the team has seen success in 23 of 40 (.576) matches in which the first set was in favor of EMU.

OUT-BLOCKING OPPONENTS: Eastern Michigan bested its opponent in the total blocks battle for the fifth time this season. The Eagles put up 17 total blocks against the Cardinals' nine, Sept. 30. Additionally, the 17 blocks from the Green and White ranked as a new team-high in 2022. Prior to that match, EMU recorded 15 total blocks against Louisiana, Aug. 26. Leading the Eagles was Chase who collected six block assists for her ninth match of the 2022 season as the leader in blocks.
      Moreover, in the second contest of the 2022 series against Toledo, Sept. 23, Eastern bested the Rockets in the total blocks battle, earning five, with the lone block-solo of the match giving the Eagles the edge. EMU recorded a perfect blocking percentage, while Toledo registered two errors in the match.

WAM-BAM, THANK YOU SAM: Outside Hitter Samantha Basham led the team in kills for the fourth time in the 2022 season with a total 16 against Ball State, Sept. 30. This was the seventh contest of the season in which the veteran has recorded double-digit kills and 31st of her career. Furthermore, her 16 kills against the Cardinals was the most from any player on either side and is just the second match in 2022 she has recorded 15+ kills. The senior's season-high 17 kills came against the University of Louisiana, Aug. 26 with her career high 23 kills being set at Ohio University, Oct. 8, 2021.

BURK'S HELPING HANDS: Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a team-high 37 assists from Burk. The 37 helpers defeats her previous career-high 23 assists set against Coppin State University, Sept. 16, and is also her 12th match of the 2022 season in which the sophomore has recorded double digit assists. Additionally, Burk earned a new career-high in kills (2), total attempts (4), and digs (11).

THE GREEN AND WHITE WALL: Senior Raeven Chase collected nine total blocks in the series with Ball State University, Sept. 30 - Oct. 1, adding to her total of 58 on the season. The senior, who was previously ranked fourth in the league, dropped to fifth in total blocks. Moreover, the middle blocker's 58 stops lead the Eagles, with fellow senior Krista Blakely trailing by 19 with a total 39 blocks. The team is currently ranked seventh in the league for total blocks per set (1.84).

ONE MORE, ON YOUR OWN: Senior Raeven Chase collected the lone block-solo for EMU, the 76th of her career as an Eagle, against the University of Toledo, Sept. 23. The middle blocker is one block-solo away from obtaining sole possession of the number six position in all-time block solos in program history. Currently, Lindsay Piccolini (2003-06) holds the number six spot with 77 block solos.

DIGGING FOR MILESTONES: Freshman Emma McMahon holds the top spot in digs for the Eagles with 223. The rookie has continued to be a consistent passer for the Green and White as she is ahead of the next Eagle, Sabrina Gremm by over 100 digs. Additonally, the Indiana native is ranked seventh within the MAC and 132nd nationally, of the 300 ranked.

ON THE HORIZON: Following the matches against both Ohio and Kent State, the Eagles will continue the #MACtion as they travel to Miami University, Fri.-Sat. Oct. 14-15, to face off with the RedHawks. Both matches are slated to be streamed via ESPN+ and can be followed via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats with Friday's first serve at 4 p.m. and Saturday's at 5 p.m.

FOLLOW THE ACTION ALL SEASON LONG: Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on Twitter for all of the latest EMU volleyball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMU_Volleyball.

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Players Mentioned

Samantha Basham

Carlina Bender

Krista Blakely

Kendall Burk

Raeven Chase

Sabrina Gremm

Emma McMahon

Callie Minshew

Jayden Otto

Kamryn Stilwell

Olivia Szylar

Eastern Michigan Athletics