EMU Volleyball Prepares for DePaul Invitational

Volleyball at Xavier Tournament
Date	Friday, Sept. 9 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT \| Saturday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. CT
Venue	McGrath Phillips Arena \| Chicago, Ill.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Watch	FloSports
Live Stats	Live Stats
Twitter	@EMUVolleyball \| @EMUAthletics

CHICAGO, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team will continue its non-conference road slate with a pair of matches Friday, Sept. 9, against Virginia Tech University at 11 a.m. CT and Saint Louis University at 4 p.m. CT. The next day will see the Eagles take on the tournament host, DePaul University, at 11 a.m. CT.
   Fans can watch the action live with a paid FloSports subscription. Of course, you can follow the action for free via live stats at EMUEagles.com/livestats.

TAKING FLIGHT: Mississippi State University transfer, Callie Minshew debuted with the Eagles against Xavier University, Sept. 3 and appeared on the court once again versus the University of Virginia, on the same day. The graduate student from Brandon, Miss. registered 20 kills on the weekend, appearing in eight sets. Additionally, Minshew added five service aces, and seven block assists to her stat sheet.
   Minshew is currently tied with freshman Sabrina Gremm for the team leader in hitting percentage with .250.

THE "GREMM" REAPER: Rookie Sabrina Gremm has shined in her opening season, leading the team in kills (65) and ranking fourth or better in total assists (6), service aces (5), digs (79), and blocks (8). She has also led the Eagles in three of their six matches in total kills.
   Knotted with transfer Callie Minshew, Gremm leads the team in hitting percentage (2.50) as a freshman. If she remains atop the category, she will be the first EMU freshman to lead the team in hitting percentage in over a decade.

CAN I GET A DOUBLE-DOUBLE? Freshman Sabrina Gremm not only leads the Eagles in kills but also in double-doubles. 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 three other freshman around the league are the only ones to have registered double-doubles as rookies in the 2022 campaign thus far - Mackenzie McGuire, Kent State (2); Ellie Hanson, Miami (2); Claire Ammeraal, Central Michigan (2).
A FAMILY AFFAIR: A native of Detroit, Mich., senior Krista Blakely came to EMU as a 'legacy' student-athlete in 2019. Blakely is the daughter of Werner Blakely and Donna (Stevenson) Davis, both of whom were student-athletes at EMU. Blakely was a four-year letter winner in football (1988-91), while Davis was a member of the 1990 volleyball team that won a program-record 30 games.
   Against Xavier University, the Eagles attack was paced by Blakely, who finished with 15 kills on the day while accumulating her first match-high of 2022 and a hitting percentage of .393.

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), by six block solos. Former all-region selection Roxanne Munch (1986-1989) holds the record at 140 career solo blocks.
   Chase's 36 blocks solo in the 2021 campaign was good for eighth in EMU's single-season history books. Former Eagle Cornelia Koller holds the top spot for most block solos in a single season with 97 in 1983.
   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. VIRGINIA TECH: The Eagles will see the Hokies for the second time in history, Friday, Sept. 9. The first and only meeting between the two institutions occurred in 1987 in Knoxville, Tenn., when at the time, the "Hurons" defeated Virginia Tech in three sets for a Green and White sweep, Sept. 19.

ALL-TIME VS. SAINT LOUIS: Eastern and Saint Louis will meet for the third time in their respective program histories Friday, Sept. 9. The Eagles and the Billikens share a 1-1 overall record and look to break the knot.

LAST TIME VERSUS THE BILLIKENS: The last time the two school's met was in 2005 at the Popcorn Classic in Valparaiso, Ind., where the Eagle's stretched out their five-game winning streak with a three-set sweep over Saint Louis.

ALL-TIME VS. DEPAUL: The Eagles and the Blue Demons will battle for the seventh time in their all-time history, Saturday, Sept. 10 inside the McGrath-Phillips Arena. The Green and White currently lead the series, 4-2. The first meeting between the two came in 1980 at home when EMU lost in two sets, Oct. 5. Then, from the years 1985-1999, the Eagles dominated with a four-match win streak, before falling to the Blue Demons in their most recent meeting in 2009.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BLUE DEMONS: In their last meeting, the Blue Demons took a 3-1 victory over EMU in their home court in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 18, 2009. The Eastern loss put a stop to their four-game win streak against DePaul starting in 1985.

ON THE HORIZON: Following the DePaul Invitational, the Eagles will remain on the road for their last non-conference tournament, the Liberty Tournament, hosted by Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. EMU will take on Radford University for the first time in program history, Friday, Sept. 16 at noon, with a 3 p.m. match up following against Coppin State University. Then, to top off the weekend, Eastern will see the tournament host on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3 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

Krista Blakely

Raeven Chase

Sabrina Gremm

Callie Minshew

Eastern Michigan Athletics