Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-8,0-0MAC
Chattanooga
10-2,0-0SoCon
Volleyball drops Chattanooga Classic opener to hosts Mocs, 3-0
9/15/2023 12:40:00 PM | Volleyball
Eagles defeat Mocs 8-3 in service aces; Minshew leads in kills for 10th consecutive match
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fell in three straight sets to the tournament hosts, the Mocs of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in the opening match of the Chattanooga Classic, Friday, Sept. 15, inside the Maclellan Gym in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Callie Minshew (Brandon, Miss./Brandon/Mississippi State) finished with 10 kills on the day to lead the Eagles' attack. Defensively, the Green and White had two players reach double figures in digs as Hannah Howard (Toledo, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) had 16 and Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio/Newark Catholic) had 10. Overall, the Eagles displayed a strong serving performance as the team topped the Mocs eight to three.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, losing a tough first set 25-17. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 10 points as Chattanooga never gave up the lead in a set that was knotted up zero times before the Mocs took control.
SET 2 | A 25-18 second-set loss put EMU in a 2-0 hole in the match. The Eagles lost the first point and never took the lead before dropping the set to the tournament hosts.
SET 3 | The Green and White couldn't prolong the match and lost in set number three. In spite of strong serving, the Eagles lost the set 25-20. However, Eastern Michigan notched five aces in the set loss.
Match Notes
» Minshew led EMU in the setback in terms of kills with 10 for her 10th consecutive team-leading kill performance of the season. It was also the 10th consecutive match where the graduate student posted double-digit kills this season and the 29th of her career.
» Howard led the team in digs for just the third time of her early career with 16 against the Mocs, three short of her career-high 19 set in the victory over Chicago State, Sept. 8. Additionally, it was the rookie's fourth double-digit dig performance and the third with 15 or more.
» Basham earned 10 digs as a back-row player in the loss. The 10 digs mark a season-high topping her nine recorded at Oakland, Sept. 8. The fifth-year recorded her career-high 17 digs against Miami University, Oct. 15, 2021. The 10 against the Mocs attack was her first double-digit digs performance since the 2021 season when she recorded nine.
» Howard led the team in service aces, producing four and topping her previous career-high of three registered against IUPUI, Aug. 25, during the CEFCU Invitational hosted by Bradley University. It marked just the second time the young freshman has led the team in the category and her fourth contest recording a single service ace. Additionally, the four aces serve as a team individual high as four Eagles have previously recorded three in a single match including Howard.
» The Eagles defeated the Mocs in service aces as the Green and White recorded eight to the opposing three from Chattanooga. It marked the fourth time (2-2) EMU has aced its opponent this season after doing so against SIUE, Aug. 25, WIU, Sept. 2, and Chicago State, Sept. 8, respectively. Last season, the Green and White aced its opponent in nine meetings, holding a 5-4 record in such games.
» The last time EMU fell in three-straight sets was during the Popcorn Classic when the Eagles fell to the Roos of Kansas City in three-straight. In addition to the three-set win over Chicago State the day before, today's contest was just the third match this season that has ended in a three-set decision (1-2). Last season, the team competed in 12 three-set matches (3-9).
Historical Notes
» Today's contest marked the first meeting between the two schools in program history. A member of the Southern Conference, Chattanooga sported a 9-2 overall record leading into the tournament as the Chattanooga Classic hosts. Its only two losses on the season have come from the hands of Southern Illinois University, Sept. 1, in a five-set thriller, and a 3-0 sweeping from Eastern Kentucky University, Sept. 9. Prior to its first season loss, the Mocs started on a five-game win streak which included three straight-set victories.
Up Next
The Green and White are scheduled to return to the court at Maclellan Gym Saturday, Sept. 16, to take on the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb University at 10 a.m. before closing out the Chattanooga Classic with a 12:30 p.m. meeting with Morehead State University.
