Eastern Michigan Athletics
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EMU Drops Final Match of CEFCU Invitational to Host Braves
8/26/2023 4:36:00 PM | Volleyball
Minshew led the team in kills over the weekend; recorded seventh career double double
EMU 1, BRADLEY 3 (20-25, 25-20, 24-26, 23-25)
PEORIA, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team suffered a 3-1 non-conference setback to Bradley University at the CEFCU Invitational Saturday Aug. 26, inside the Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Ill.
The Eagles were once again led by none other than Callie Minshew (Brandon, Miss./Brandon/Mississippi State), who registered 15 kills and 13 digs for her seventh career double-double. Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio/Newark Catholic) also added 15 kills to help the attack while Mackenzie Gross (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) contributed 13. On the defensive end, Bella Hommes (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) chipped in for with 20 digs to go with four blocks from Minshew.
Quick Serves:
» Minshew led the Eagles in kills in all three matches over the weekend, starting the 2023 season – her last – on a good foot.
» The Green and White registered three Eagles with double figure kills in Minshew (15), Gross (13), and Basham (15).
» Elle McLoughlin's (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri Valley/Ashland) 49 assists led the Green and White for the second consecutive time.
» An Eagle contributed a double-double performance for the second time in a row this season as Minshew recorded 15 kills and 13 digs in the match after Hannah Kivett (Chandler, Ind./Castle Florida Gulf Coast) accomplished the feat with 17 assists and 10 digs against IUPUI the night before.
» Two Eagles recorded career-highs in the match in Gross (13 kills) and McLoughlin (49 assists).
» Angel Baylark (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington/Tennessee-Martin) consistently produced multiple blocks in all three matches over the weekend.
» Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin) made her collegiate debut, appearing in two sets for the Eagles.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, losing the first set 25-20. Bradley grabbed the advantage for good at 10-9 in a set that was tied up eight times before the Braves took control.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan fought back after dropping the first set to take the second set 25-20, tying the match at one set apiece. The Eagles grabbed the set with the help of a strong showing on the attacking side. EMU put together a .379 attack percentage with 14 kills in the set win. The Eagles ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. Eastern Michigan's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Bradley attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | The tournament host responded to win set number three, putting Eastern Michigan in a two sets to one setback. The Eagles came up short in a back-and-forth battle, losing 26-24 in a set that featured eight lead changes and was tied 11 times. Neither team had a lead of more than four points along the way.
SET 4 | The Green and White then fell in the fourth set 25-23 to finish off the match. Bradley grabbed the advantage for good at 20-19 and Eastern Michigan wasn't able to recover in a set that was tied up six times before the Braves took over in the second half of the stanza to coast to victory.
Mach Notes
» Minshew led the Eagles in kills in all three matches of the CEFCU Invitational, collecting just one more kill than she did before in each match as she put up 13 against SIUE, 14 against IUPUI, and 15 versus Bradley. Last season, the graduate student led the team in kills in just two appearances, versus Saint Louis University, Sept. 9, 2022 (13), and then again at Ball State University, Oct. 1, 2022 (8). After the weekend, Minshew has topped her previous number.
» Three Eagles registered double-digit digs against the Braves. The last time three or more Eagles recorded double figure kills in a single match was in a four-set loss to Northern Illinois University, Nov. 11, 2022. In that match, Minshew led the team with 15 while former Eagles Raeven Chase and Krista Blakely had 13, and 10, respectively.
» McLoughlin assisted on a team-leading 49 helpers in the match. In addition to leading the team in assists for the second consecutive match, the transfer topped her previous career-high 39 set against Salem, Aug. 24, 2022.
» Minshew recorded her seventh career double-double and first since the 2019 season in the match. As a freshman, the Mississippi native recorded six double-doubles featuring kills and digs for the Bulldogs. The last match she accomplished the feat was at Arkansas, Nov. 24, 2019, when she put up 12 kills along with 13 digs.
» Gross' 13 kills against the Braves topped her previous career-high eight set just the night before against the Jaguars of IUPUI, Aug. 25. Previous to this weekend, the junior had a career-high six kills set in three different occasions during her time at EMU.
» Baylark recorded multiple blocks in all three matches over the weekend as she stopped three SIUE attacks, three IUPUI hits, and rejected the Jaguars twice.
» Srinivasan appeared in her first collegiate match. The freshman collected one dig on two receptions in the two sets she appeared in her debut.
» The Green and White defeated the Braves in terms of points (68-66), kills (57-50), and assists (53-48) and produced less errors (20-22).
Historical Notes
» The Green and White competed in the CEFCU Invitational hosted by Bradley for the first time in program history. However, the tournament marked the third meeting with SIU-Edwardsville (1-2), the fifth with IUPUI (3-2), and the seventh with the Braves (2-5) in program history.
Up Next
Following the CEFCU Invitational in Peoria, Ill., the Eagles will continue their non-conference journey to the next tournament, the Popcorn Classic hosted by Valparaiso University Friday-Saturday, Sept. 1-2. There, the Eagles will face Oakland University, Friday at noon CT, then Chicago State University later that afternoon. Saturday's match will feature the Eagles and Western Illinois University at noon CT.
