Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
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EMU Volleyball Drops Two in Season Opener
8/26/2022 8:06:00 PM | Volleyball
Chase provides record-book performance in season debut
MATCH 1 | Eastern Michigan 2, Louisiana 3 (25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 22-25, 13-15)
MATCH 2 | Eastern Michigan 1, Fairfield 3 (25-23, 21-25, 26-28, 20-25)
EAST LANSING, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team opened its 2022 campaign with a pair of matches as part of the Auto Owners Spartan Invitational today, Aug. 26, inside the Breslin Student Event Center on the campus of Michigan State University. EMU began the day with a 3-2 setback at the hands of the University of Louisiana, before losing 1-3 in the nightcap against Fairfield University.
Opening the day with 17 kills on 57 swings was senior Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic) who also led the team in aces with two. Fellow senior Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic) earned a career best in total blocks in a single match with 10 over the Ragin' Cajuns.
The Fairfield match was led by a double-double from freshman Sabrina Gremm (North Royalton, Ohio-Gilmour Academy), who registered 15 kills and 12 digs on the day. Senior Krista Blakely (Detroit Mich.–University High School Academy) also added 14 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan) chipped in with 11 digs to go with four blocks from Blakely.
How It Happened – Match 1
SET 1 | The Eagles grabbed control on the first point and never looked back to secure the first set 25-21. EMU led by seven points, at 15-8, before finishing off the set, totaling 15 kills along the way. Eastern Michigan also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set. Chase had a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Louisiana attacks in the stanza.
SET 2 | The Green and White took the second set 25-17 to quickly jump to a 2-0 lead. The Eagles earned the set victory with the help of a solid showing on the attacking side. Eastern registered a .310 attack percentage with 15 kills in the set win. The Eagles opened up a 22-13 lead in the set and coasted to victory from there.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan couldn't end the match in a sweep, losing the third set to make their lead two sets to one. The Eagles fell in a tough battle, 25-17. EMU trailed by as many as nine points as Louisiana grabbed the advantage for good at 6-5 in a set that was knotted up nine times before the Ragin' Cajuns took the lead.
SET 4 | The Eagles then dropped their second straight set, 25-22, to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Eagles fought back from an eight-point deficit at 13-5, but it wasn't enough as Louisiana hung on to win the set.
SET 5 | Eastern Michigan grabbed a 2-0 set lead, but dropped the next three sets on their way to losing the match. The Eagles took set five to the wire, but couldn't squeak out the win. The team had a lead over the Ragin' Cajuns before Louisiana took over.
Mach Notes - Match 1
» Three freshman Eagles made their career debuts with Gremm also collecting her first career start. Carlina Bender (Hudsonville, Mich. -Hudsonville) appeared in three sets, gathering her first seven career digs. Emma McMahon (Monroeville, Ind. -Bellmont) also made an appearance in three sets, earning eight total digs in her career debut.
» Gremm and Chase both recorded double-doubles. It was the 17th such effort for Chase and the first for Gremm.
» Basham had a team-high two aces in the match to reach a total 50 career service aces.
» Chase had a match-high 10 blocks, just five away from her career high in a single match. In 2021, Chase led the team in blocks in 21 different matches.
» Chase recorded six block solos in the contest, a career-high. Her previous high, five, came against Central Michigan, Oct. 20, 2021.
» Basham had a match-high 17 kills for the Green and White. She now has 18 career matches with 10+ kills. Her season high of 10 such matches came in 2021.
» Stilwell led the Eagles in digs with a match-high of 19. A common trend for the Parma, Ohio native, she is coming off a 2021 season in which she led the team in digs 29 times.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a match-high 46 assists from junior Olivia Szylar (Itasca, lll.-Lake Park). That number is a new career-high for the third-year Eagle.
How It Happened – Match 2
SET 1 | The Eagles endured a back-and-forth first set to win 25-23 in a set that featured five lead changes and was tied eight times. Neither team led by more than four points in the match.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan then lost set two 25-21, evening things at a set each. The Eagles fell in another back-and-forth set, battling until the very end.
SET 3 | The Green and White fell again in the third set to make it a 2-1 deficit. The Eagles dropped a tight set, losing 28-26 in a stanza that was tied five times and had two lead changes. Needing to win by two, three of the five times the score was knotted occurred in the tail end of the match.
SET 4 | The team then lost set four and the overall match, falling 25-20. Fairfield grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 and Eastern Michigan was never able to recover in a set that was tied up seven times before the Stags took over the lead.
Game Notes – Match 2
» Making a debut as an Eagles for the first time was sophomore MeKayla Koger (Mansfield, Texas - Lake Ridge - Sam Houston State).
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in kills. Gremm led the way with a career-high 15 kills. Blakely followed behind with 14 kills, just three shy of her career high. A force on both sides of the ball, Chase gathered 12 kills on 22 swings for a game-high .409 hitting percentage.
» Eastern Michigan had three players in double figures in digs. Filling the stat sheet was Gremm with 12 digs on the match for her second double-double of the day.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a match-high 46 assists from Szylar to match her assists from the first competition.
Historical Notes
» With her six block solos recorded today, Chase has taken over sole possession of seventh all-time in the category at EMU (68 total). She entered today's competition tied with her former teammate, Cassie Haut (2015-19). Chase trails the No. 6 position, held by Lindsay Piccolini (2003-06), by nine block solos.
» Chase's six block solos in a single match, which came today against Louisiana, ties for the fifth-most single match block solos in program history. Four others have accomplished the feat.
» Chase's six block solos against the Rajin' Cajuns are the most by any Eastern Michigan player in a single match since the 1989 season, when Roxanne Munch hit that number against Notre Dame, Oct. 7.
Up Next
The Eagles will close their play in the 2022 Auto Owners Spartan Invitational Saturday, Aug. 27, with a midday bout against the host team, Michigan State University. First serve is set for noon.
