Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-16,0-6MAC
Akron
9-7,4-1MAC
Minshew Earns Match-High 18 Kills in Sweep to Akron
10/5/2023 7:36:00 PM | Volleyball
The Eagles travel to Buffalo Friday
AKRON, Ohio --The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team suffered a three-set sweep to the University of Akron Zips Thursday, Oct. 5, inside the James A. Rhoades Arena in Akron, Ohio.
Callie Minshew (Brandon, Miss./Brandon) finished with a match-high 18 kills on the day to lead the Eagles offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .262. The Green and White saw 24 digs from Hannah Howard (Toledo, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) to lead them defensively.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles battled in a tough first set but fell, 25-17. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as eight points as Akron grabbed the advantage for good at 9-8 in a set that was tied up two times before the Zips took control.
SET 2 | EMU then lost set two, 25-18, digging a 2-0 deficit in the match. The Eagles dropped the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before falling in the set.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan couldn't prolong the match any longer and lost in set number three. The Eagles came up short by three points, falling, 25-22, the best performance of the evening. Akron grabbed the advantage for good at 22-21 in a set that was tied up six times before the Zips took over in the second half of the stanza.
Match Notes
» Despite playing the setter role, Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri Valley/Ashland) earned four kills on seven attempts in the match for a .429 hitting percentage. The sophomore has recorded four kills only one other time in her career which was done earlier in the season against Bradley University, Aug. 26.
» Minshew's attacking performance marked the fourth contest this season in which the graduate student has recorded 18 kills or more. Last season's kill leader, Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio/Newark Catholic) recorded 18 or more kills in three matches.
» Additionally, Minshew earned one serving ace in the loss to the Zips. In the two seasons Minshew has donned the Green and White, today's service ace marked the 20th match in which the graduate student has recorded at least one ace. Last season, Minshew recorded a single ace in seven contests compared to this season's 13.
» Eastern Michigan's set up help was led by McLoughlin who recorded 32 assists in the loss. The 32 assists marked the 12th match in which the setter recorded 30 assists or more and her fourth consecutive.
Historical Notes
» The match between the Eagles and Zips was the 45th meeting in program history dating back to 1983. In the last 10 matches between the two, the Eagles have overpowered Akron, 6-4, for an overall record of 22-23.
Up Next
The Eastern Michigan volleyball team will continue Mid-American Conference play, Friday, Oct. 6 as it takes on the Bulls of the University at Buffalo inside Alumni Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. The match is slated to begin at 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
