EMU Volleyball Soars to Lynchburg, Va. for Liberty Tournament

Volleyball at Liberty Tournament
Date	Friday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. \| Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m.
Venue	Liberty Arena \| Lynchburg, Va.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Watch	Liberty Match on ESPN+
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUVolleyball \| @EMUAthletics

LYNCHBURG, VA. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team will end its non-conference road slate at the Liberty Tournament, Friday-Saturday, Sept. 16-17. Day one will see the Eagles in action against the Highlanders of Radford University at noon before taking on the Eagles of Coppin State University at 3 p.m. Then, Liberty University will play host to EMU, Saturday, Sept. 17, at 3 p.m. to close out Eastern's non-conference slate.
     The Radford and the Coppin State matches will not be streamed. However, the match against Liberty will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Of course, you can follow the action for free all season long via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats.

DOUBLE-DIGIT KILLERS: Against Virginia Tech, Sept. 9, Eastern Michigan had a season-high four players in double figures in kills, with Raeven Chase earning 14 in her first match with leading attacks of 2022. Then, against Saint Louis University, Sept. 9, the Green and White listed three players in double figures in kills for the fourth time in the 2022 season. Graduate student Callie Minshew led the offense, recording her third match with double-digit kills and her first as the match leader with the Eagles. Both Krista Blakely and Samantha Basham equally tallied 11 kills for the second time on the day, with the first match coming against Virginia Tech.

SOARING LIKE AN EAGLE: Mississippi State University transfer, Callie Minshew registered a team-high 13 kills for Eastern Michigan versus Saint Louis University, Sept. 9. With her 13, Minshew registered a new individual season high, with her previous record 11 kills coming against Xavier University, Sept. 3. Minshew's career-high in kills is 17 and has chalked up 18 total career matches with double-digit kills.

HIGH-FIVE: Senior Samantha Basham is just five blocks short from her next milestone of 100 career blocks. In 2022, the senior's single-match high two total blocks set against Xavier University, Sept. 3, is three short of her career-high five total blocks versus the attackers of MAC member Miami University, Oct. 15, 2021.

TWENTY-ONE SAVAGE: Prior to the DePaul Invitational, Samantha Basham trailed Sabrina Gremm in total kills on the season by four. Basham now leads the Eagles in total kills (92) with Gremm coming second (84). The senior is just 21 kills away from her milestone of 700 career kills.

TRACKING TIMMY: Sophomore Madeline Timmerman had a match-high three aces in the loss against Virginia Tech University, Sept. 9, for an individual season high. Timmerman was short one ace to tie her career-high four aces, set against Western Michigan University, Sept. 23, 2021. Additionally, Timmerman registered her second team-high three aces once again against the Billikens. Against DePaul University, the sophomore registered a match-high two aces to add to her total (11). Timmerman led the Eagles in aces in all three matches of the DePaul Invitational, and in four of their nine total matches. The sophomore rocketed up to the number one spot in matches with leading aces as well as the team-leader in total aces, after the weekend.

SOMEONE GET MCMAHON A SHOVEL: Over the weekend, freshman Emma McMahon registered a total 48 digs in three matches. Against Saint Louis University, Sept. 9, the rookie earned a career-high 19 digs and then registered her seventh consecutive match with double-digit digs against DePaul University, Sept. 10. McMahon currently holds a leading mark 134 digs in 2022.

FIVE-SET WONDERS: The four-set loss to DePaul University was the third loss of the 2022 campaign that the Eagles couldn't stretch a fifth set. Under Head Coach Darcy Dorton, the Eagles have reached a fifth set in 20 of Dorton's 84 total matches with five coming in the 2022 season. The Green and White have an overall 8-12 record in games decided by a fifth set under Dorton.

EAGLES IN THE MAC: Five Eagles are currently ranked in the top 15 in numerous categories for the 2022 campaign. Senior Raeven Chase holds the highest rank for Eastern as third in the league for total blocks (36). Additionally, the fifth-year is ranked sixth in blocks per set (1.03). Also ranked sixth but in the total attempt's category is fellow senior Samantha Basham (305). Junior Olivia Szylar holds the no. 7 spot within the league for total assists (254). On the defensive end, freshman and DePaul Invitational All-Tournament winner Emma McMahon is ranked eighth in the MAC for total digs (100) with fellow rookie standout, Sabrina Gremm ranking 12th (100).

THE "GREMM" REAPER: Sabrina Gremm registered a match-high 12 kills as the lone Eagle to earn double-digit kills against DePaul University, Sept. 10. Gremm has been the single-match kills leader in three of EMU's four matches this season in which only one Eagle has recorded 10+ kills. This match marks as her fifth contest with double-digit kills and fourth with the match-high.

CAN I GET A DOUBLE-DOUBLE? Freshman Sabrina Gremm leads not only the Green and White in double-doubles, but also the entire freshman class across the league. The North-Royalton, Ohio-native has tallied four double-doubles in her rookie season coming against The University of Louisiana, Aug. 26 (11 kills, 17 digs), Fairfield University, Aug. 26 (15 kills, 12 digs), Purdue Fort Wayne, Sept. 2, (15 kills, 16 digs), and the University of Virginia, Sept. 3 (10 kills, 10 digs).
     Gremm currently holds the record for most double-doubles from a freshman across the MAC with four total. Gremm and four other freshmen around the league are the only ones to have registered double-doubles as rookies in the 2022 campaign thus far - Ellie Hanson, Miami (3); Mackenzie McGuire, Kent State (2); Claire Ammeraal, Central Michigan (2); Hayden Hicks, Miami (1).

CHASE-IN RECORDS: Senior Raeven Chase finished the 2021 season seventh all-time with 62 career solo blocks, tied with former Eagle Cassie Haut (2015-19). Just three matches into the 2022 campaign, Chase secured sole-possession of seventh all-time with 71 block-solos, trailing the No. 6 position held by Lindsay Piccolini (2003-06) who finished with 77. Chase is currently just three block-solos away from take No. 6. Former all-region selection Roxanne Munch (1986-1989) holds the record at 140 career solo blocks.
     Chase's six block solos in a single match, which came against Louisiana (Aug. 26, 2022), ties for the fifth-most single match block solos in program history. Four others have accomplished the feat. Her six block solos against the Rajin' Cajuns is also 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.

ALL-TIME VS. RADFORD: The match set for Friday, Sept. 16 against the Highlanders will be the first between the two programs. Radford, who is currently 4-5 overall, is a member of the Big South Conference and ranks second in the league with four wins. Radford will be just the fourth Big South opponent that Eastern has faced in its program history. The Eagles are currently 2-1 against Big South opponents.

ALL-TIME VS. COPPIN STATE: The Eagles of both Eastern and Coppin State have only met once in their respective program histories. EMU collected the 3-0 sweep over Coppin State, Sept. 13, 2014 in Catonsville, Md. at a neautral site. The Green and White outhit Coppin State .231 to .168, earning 47 kills to their 38.

ALL-TIME VS. LIBERTY: The Eagles will meet the Flames of Liberty University, also for the first time, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2022 at 3 p.m. in their home court in Lynchburg, Va. The Flames are currently 5-4 with three of their wins resulting in sweeps. The Virginia-based school is a member of the ASUN conference and is ranked eighth in the 2022 standings.

SEPT. 16: Eastern Michigan's overall record for the 2022 season is 0-9. The last time EMU had a season-opening nine-match losing streak was in 2000. The team later ended that streak with a 3-0 sweep victory over the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Sept. 16, 2000, exactly 22 years ago.

ON THE HORIZON: The Liberty Tournament will end the Eagles 12-match non-conference road streak before EMU opens its home court to the Rockets of Toledo University, Thursday, Sept. 22. The match will be referred to as not only the home-opener but the first MAC match of the 2022 campaign and is set to begin at 6 p.m. in the George Gervin GameAbove Center. As conference matches traditionally run, the Eagles will see the Rockets once more, Friday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. to end the two-day series.

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.

EMU Volleyball Soars to Lynchburg, Va. for Liberty Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Samantha Basham

Krista Blakely

Raeven Chase

Sabrina Gremm

Emma McMahon

Callie Minshew

Olivia Szylar

Madeline Timmerman

Eastern Michigan Athletics