Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, November 4
Kalamazoo, Mich.
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
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Western Michigan
EMU Volleyball Set to Travel to Kalamazoo, Mich.
11/2/2022 4:19:00 PM | Volleyball
The Eagles take on the Broncos Friday and Saturday
| Volleyball at Western Michigan | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. |
| Venue | University Arena | Kalamazoo, Mich. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes (PDF) |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| @EMUVolleyball | @EMUAthletics | |
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team continues its Mid-American Conference road trip, this time in Kalamazoo, Mich. for two meetings inside University Arena against the Broncos on the campus of Western Michigan University.
Friday, Nov. 4 will see the Eagles take on the Broncos at 6 p.m. while Saturday's match will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday's match will be streamed via ESPN+ with Conor Clingen 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 715-747-16 overall record and stands 284-371-1 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.
» Under Dorton, who took the reins in 2019 as the programs ninth head coach, the Green and White hold a 33-67 overall record and stand 22-45 in league play.
» This season, the Eagles opened their nest to four "true" freshmen, 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 263 on the year is senior Samantha Basham, who also leads the Eagles in service aces with 28. Sophomore setter Kendall Burk tops the Green and White in assists (577) while freshman Emma McMahon leads the way with 386 digs and fifth year senior Raeven Chase sits atop with 96 total blocks.
EAGLES IN THE MAC: Four Eagles are currently ranked in various statistical categories throughout the Mid-American Conference, with three finding spots in the top 10. Holding the highest ranking for the Eagles is senior middle-blocker Raeven Chase in the number three spot in the conference for total blocks (96). Additionally, she is fourth in the league in both total blocks per set (1.14), and fourth in hitting percentage (.334). The fifth-year senior has also holds the 29th position in kills per set (2.42). Also in the kills per set category is senior Samantha Basham (2.71), ranking 21st, with fellow senior Krista Blakely (2.02) in 39th. Moreover, Basham is also ranked fourth in league for total attacks (863) on the season. Freshman Emma McMahon is the third Eagle to be listed in the top 10 within the conference ranking eighth in both total digs (386) and total digs per set (4.02).
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 six weeks of conference play, Ball State University holds the upper hand with an 11-2 mark in league play. Ohio University and Bowling Green follow tied for second place with 10-3 records while the University of Toledo, and Central Michigan University share 8-5 records for the third spot. Northern Illinois University and the University at Buffalo each sport 7-6 records with Western Michigan University at 6-7. Eastern Michigan and Kent State University share 4-9 records while the University of Akron follows at 2-11 in league play with Miami University rounding out the league at 1-12. Despite the early 0-6 record, the Green and White earned their first two conference victories over Miami University, Oct. 14-15 and another two over Bowling Green and Akron, respectively. The Eagles still have five conference matches left in the regular season for a chance to earn a berth into the MAC tournament.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos currently possess an 14-11 overall record, and a 6-7 mark in league play. The Kalamazoo-based team opened its 2022 conference season with back-to-back wins to the University at Buffalo, Sept. 23-24. The Broncos were then handed their first conference loss, Sept. 27 by NIU, before splitting the series with Akron, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Western's other three conference victories came against Miami, Oct. 7, Toledo, Oct. 14, and Kent State, Oct. 29.
ALL-TIME VS. THE BRONCOS: The Eagles defeated the Broncos in their very first meeting back in 1976 in just two sets as the matches were best of three at the time. EMU is currently 24-69 against Western Michigan, with its last victory over the in-state-rival coming Oct 6, 2018.
In the last meeting with the Broncos, the team fell in three sets at home, Sept. 24, 2021. Raeven Chase finished with eight kills on the match to lead the Eagles attack. EMU got 17 digs from Kamryn Stilwell along with five blocks from Chase to lead them defensively.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Kendall Burk's 10 digs against the Bulls, Oct. 28, coupled with her 36 helpers marked 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.
THIRD SET GRABS: 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.
TAKE OFF KB: After topping her previous season-high 15 kills at Xavier University, Sept. 3, with her 16 at Buffalo, Oct. 28, Blakely's 17 against the Zips ranked as her season-high and is her second time in her career recording 17, previously doing so verse Miami, Oct. 15, 2021. Additionally, her lone block solo added another point to the seniors 18, matching her career-high points set against Buffalo, Oct. 29, 2021.
DOUBLE-DIGIT KILLAS: Three Eagles had 10-plus kills at Akron, Oct. 29, including Samantha Basham (17), Krista Blakely (17), and MeKayla Koger (13). This marked the sixth match of the 2022 season in which Eastern has tallied three or more players with double-digit kills in a single match, the most recent coming at home against Ohio University, Oct. 7.
BURK'S HELPING HANDS: Sophomore Kendall Burk topped her previous career-high 48 assists provided in the win over Bowling Green, Oct. 21 with her 56 at Akron, Oct. 29. Added with her 36 at Buffalo, Oct. 28, Burk recorded a total 92 assists, the most by any Eagle in one weekend this season. Burk's 577 season assists leads the Green and White, making her just 423 assists away from milestone 1,000.
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: With one of the best middle-blockers in the league, Raeven Chase out, sophomore transfer MeKayla Koger rose to the occasion. Koger was efficient in attacking situations in the match against Akron, Oct. 29, accumulating 13 kills while hitting .619. The 13 kills were the transfers career-high, topping her previous three set in three different contests. With 13 kills on the match, the Texas native nearly doubled her season output, which stands at 30 on the season. Additionally, her 13 points also topped her previous high four coming at Ball State University, Oct. 1.
HIT-HIT-HOORAY: Eastern Michigan attackers combined to hit .352 in the win over Akron, Oct. 29. This was the highest hitting percentage of the season and first above .300. Moreover, the Green and White have out-hit their opponents in six matches and hold a 5-1 record in said matches. The lone loss was against Kent State University, Oct. 8.
FIVE-SET THRILLERS: Within the 2022 season, the Eagles have seen a fifth set in eight contests thus far. With the five-set thrill victory over the Zips, Oct. 29, the Green and White have now come out victorious in two of the eight matches decided by five sets.
DIGGING FOR MILESTONES: Freshman Emma McMahon continues to hold the top spot in digs for the Eagles with 386. The rookie has been a consistent passer for the Green and White as she is ahead of the next Eagle, Kamryn Stillwell by over 200 digs. Additionally, the Indiana native is ranked eighth within the MAC and has jumped to 75th nationally, of the 297 ranked.
TIED FOR BEST: Eastern Michigan mustered a .352 hitting percentage against the Zips, by far its highest mark of the season. The total is the best for any Eastern Michigan team since Sept. 11, 2021, when the team hit the same mark in a match against Belmont University. The matches effort tied for the best single-match hitting percentage under fourth-year Head Coach Darcy Dorton.
ON THE HORIZON: Following the road trip to Buffalo and Akron, the Eagles will continue the #MACtion as they continue their away travel to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich. to face the Broncos in a two-match series. The first is slated for Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. and the second the next day, Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. Both matches can be followed via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats.
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.
Friday, Nov. 4 will see the Eagles take on the Broncos at 6 p.m. while Saturday's match will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday's match will be streamed via ESPN+ with Conor Clingen 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 715-747-16 overall record and stands 284-371-1 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.
» Under Dorton, who took the reins in 2019 as the programs ninth head coach, the Green and White hold a 33-67 overall record and stand 22-45 in league play.
» This season, the Eagles opened their nest to four "true" freshmen, 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 263 on the year is senior Samantha Basham, who also leads the Eagles in service aces with 28. Sophomore setter Kendall Burk tops the Green and White in assists (577) while freshman Emma McMahon leads the way with 386 digs and fifth year senior Raeven Chase sits atop with 96 total blocks.
EAGLES IN THE MAC: Four Eagles are currently ranked in various statistical categories throughout the Mid-American Conference, with three finding spots in the top 10. Holding the highest ranking for the Eagles is senior middle-blocker Raeven Chase in the number three spot in the conference for total blocks (96). Additionally, she is fourth in the league in both total blocks per set (1.14), and fourth in hitting percentage (.334). The fifth-year senior has also holds the 29th position in kills per set (2.42). Also in the kills per set category is senior Samantha Basham (2.71), ranking 21st, with fellow senior Krista Blakely (2.02) in 39th. Moreover, Basham is also ranked fourth in league for total attacks (863) on the season. Freshman Emma McMahon is the third Eagle to be listed in the top 10 within the conference ranking eighth in both total digs (386) and total digs per set (4.02).
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 six weeks of conference play, Ball State University holds the upper hand with an 11-2 mark in league play. Ohio University and Bowling Green follow tied for second place with 10-3 records while the University of Toledo, and Central Michigan University share 8-5 records for the third spot. Northern Illinois University and the University at Buffalo each sport 7-6 records with Western Michigan University at 6-7. Eastern Michigan and Kent State University share 4-9 records while the University of Akron follows at 2-11 in league play with Miami University rounding out the league at 1-12. Despite the early 0-6 record, the Green and White earned their first two conference victories over Miami University, Oct. 14-15 and another two over Bowling Green and Akron, respectively. The Eagles still have five conference matches left in the regular season for a chance to earn a berth into the MAC tournament.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos currently possess an 14-11 overall record, and a 6-7 mark in league play. The Kalamazoo-based team opened its 2022 conference season with back-to-back wins to the University at Buffalo, Sept. 23-24. The Broncos were then handed their first conference loss, Sept. 27 by NIU, before splitting the series with Akron, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Western's other three conference victories came against Miami, Oct. 7, Toledo, Oct. 14, and Kent State, Oct. 29.
ALL-TIME VS. THE BRONCOS: The Eagles defeated the Broncos in their very first meeting back in 1976 in just two sets as the matches were best of three at the time. EMU is currently 24-69 against Western Michigan, with its last victory over the in-state-rival coming Oct 6, 2018.
In the last meeting with the Broncos, the team fell in three sets at home, Sept. 24, 2021. Raeven Chase finished with eight kills on the match to lead the Eagles attack. EMU got 17 digs from Kamryn Stilwell along with five blocks from Chase to lead them defensively.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Sophomore Kendall Burk's 10 digs against the Bulls, Oct. 28, coupled with her 36 helpers marked 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.
THIRD SET GRABS: 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.
TAKE OFF KB: After topping her previous season-high 15 kills at Xavier University, Sept. 3, with her 16 at Buffalo, Oct. 28, Blakely's 17 against the Zips ranked as her season-high and is her second time in her career recording 17, previously doing so verse Miami, Oct. 15, 2021. Additionally, her lone block solo added another point to the seniors 18, matching her career-high points set against Buffalo, Oct. 29, 2021.
DOUBLE-DIGIT KILLAS: Three Eagles had 10-plus kills at Akron, Oct. 29, including Samantha Basham (17), Krista Blakely (17), and MeKayla Koger (13). This marked the sixth match of the 2022 season in which Eastern has tallied three or more players with double-digit kills in a single match, the most recent coming at home against Ohio University, Oct. 7.
BURK'S HELPING HANDS: Sophomore Kendall Burk topped her previous career-high 48 assists provided in the win over Bowling Green, Oct. 21 with her 56 at Akron, Oct. 29. Added with her 36 at Buffalo, Oct. 28, Burk recorded a total 92 assists, the most by any Eagle in one weekend this season. Burk's 577 season assists leads the Green and White, making her just 423 assists away from milestone 1,000.
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: With one of the best middle-blockers in the league, Raeven Chase out, sophomore transfer MeKayla Koger rose to the occasion. Koger was efficient in attacking situations in the match against Akron, Oct. 29, accumulating 13 kills while hitting .619. The 13 kills were the transfers career-high, topping her previous three set in three different contests. With 13 kills on the match, the Texas native nearly doubled her season output, which stands at 30 on the season. Additionally, her 13 points also topped her previous high four coming at Ball State University, Oct. 1.
HIT-HIT-HOORAY: Eastern Michigan attackers combined to hit .352 in the win over Akron, Oct. 29. This was the highest hitting percentage of the season and first above .300. Moreover, the Green and White have out-hit their opponents in six matches and hold a 5-1 record in said matches. The lone loss was against Kent State University, Oct. 8.
FIVE-SET THRILLERS: Within the 2022 season, the Eagles have seen a fifth set in eight contests thus far. With the five-set thrill victory over the Zips, Oct. 29, the Green and White have now come out victorious in two of the eight matches decided by five sets.
DIGGING FOR MILESTONES: Freshman Emma McMahon continues to hold the top spot in digs for the Eagles with 386. The rookie has been a consistent passer for the Green and White as she is ahead of the next Eagle, Kamryn Stillwell by over 200 digs. Additionally, the Indiana native is ranked eighth within the MAC and has jumped to 75th nationally, of the 297 ranked.
TIED FOR BEST: Eastern Michigan mustered a .352 hitting percentage against the Zips, by far its highest mark of the season. The total is the best for any Eastern Michigan team since Sept. 11, 2021, when the team hit the same mark in a match against Belmont University. The matches effort tied for the best single-match hitting percentage under fourth-year Head Coach Darcy Dorton.
ON THE HORIZON: Following the road trip to Buffalo and Akron, the Eagles will continue the #MACtion as they continue their away travel to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich. to face the Broncos in a two-match series. The first is slated for Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. and the second the next day, Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. Both matches can be followed via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats.
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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