Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-5,0-0MAC
Western Illinois
0-5,0-0OVC
Eagles Secure First Season Win in Five-Set Thriller over Western Illinois
9/2/2023 6:23:00 PM | Volleyball
Two Eagles produced double-double efforts in the victory; Foeman's first at EMU
EMU 3, WIU 2 (11-25, 25-14, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13)
VALPARAISO, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team displayed remarkable resolve in a rigorous battle with Western Illinois University, defeating the Leathernecks in a five-set thriller, Saturday, Sept. 2, during the second to last match of the Popcorn Classic hosted by Valparaiso University inside the Athletics-Recreation Center. The victory marked the first of the season for the Eagles and the first under head coach Kevin Foeman.
"I loved the contributions from this team today," said Foeman. "It was a total team effort. We have been grinding each and every match to find a way to win in the manner in which we did today, which made it that much more rewarding. I am very proud of our resilience and ability to finish out the match and earn a win."
For the sixth time in six matches, Callie Minshew (Brandon, Miss./Brandon/Mississippi State) led the team in kills as she posted a career-high 20, along with her 11 digs for her third season double-double. Additionally, Angel Baylark (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington/Tennessee-Martin) contributed a career-high tying 14 kills to help the Eagles attack. On the defensive end, Emma McMahon (Monroeville, Ind./Monroeville) chipped in with 22 digs to go with eight blocks from Baylark and a career-high six from Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri Valley/Ashland), who received her first double-doble with 46 assists and 13 digs.
Quick Serves:
» Sept. 2, 2023 marks the day first-year head coach Kevin Foeman earned his first win as an Eastern Michigan Eagle.
» Minshew led the Eagles for the sixth consecutive match this season. She recorded a team-high, season-high, and career-high 20 kills against the Leathernecks' defense. Furthermore, her 20 kills paired with her 11 digs is good for the graduate student's third double-double of the season and the ninth of her career.
» The Eagles defeated the Leathernecks in five sets. The last time the team played in a fifth set and won was against the University of Akron, Oct. 29, 2022.
» Two Eagles contributed double-double performances in the victory. McLoughlin earned the feat for the first time in her career with 46 assists and 13 digs.
» The Green and White registered two Eagles with double figure kills in Minshew (20) and Baylark (14).
» McLoughlin was named to the Popcorn Classic All-Tournament Team, marking the second different Eagle this season to be an all-tournament team honoree.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, losing a tough first set 25-11. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 14 points as Western Illinois never surrendered the lead in a set that was knotted up two times before the Leathernecks took control.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan evened the match at 1-1 after a 25-14 second-set win. The Eagles took the set with the help of a strong showing on the attacking side. Eastern Michigan put together a .324 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. The offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. The Green and White's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking six Western Illinois attacks.
SET 3 | Eastern won again in set three to make it a 2-1 match. The Eagles the set the third set 25-20. EMU took the lead for good at 7-6 in a set that featured six ties and five lead changes. The Eastern Michigan offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Eastern Michigan couldn't keep the win streak going, as the Leathernecks forced a fifth set with a 25-22 fourth-set win. The Eagles fought back from an eight-point hole at 19-11, but it wasn't enough as Western Illinois held on to win the set.
SET 5 | EMU took a two sets to one lead and held off Western Illinois' comeback attempt, which included a fourth set victory, to win the fifth set 15-13 and the match 3-2. The Eagles took the lead for good at 8-7 in a set that showcased two lead changes before the Eagles took over the lead. got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Western Illinois attacks in the stanza.
Mach Notes
» Minshew's 20 kills led the team for the sixth consecutive match this season. Last season, teammate Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio/Newark Catholic) led the team in kills in 10 matches, while former Eagle Raeven Chase led in seven, just one more than Minshew's current stance.
» Additionally, Minshew earned her third season double-double and the ninth of her career after posting six as a Bulldog at Mississippi State (2019). It was her second of the tournament as she posted 15 kills and 11 digs against the host Beacons the day before, Sept. 1. With her three this season along with McLoughlin's one, and Hannah Kivett's (Chandler, Ind./Castle Florida Gulf Coast) during the CEFCU Invitational, a double-double has been recorded five times in the 2023 campaign from three different Eagles. Last season, the double-double mark was reached a total of eight times by three different Eagles (Sabrina Gremm (4), Kendall Burk (3), Raeven Chase (1)).
» Minshew's double-double performance against the Leathernecks marked her 25th career contest in which she has hit the double figure mark in kills and 22nd time hitting the mark in digs. Additionally, it was Minshew's third contest producing 15+ kills this season.
» The last time Eastern Michigan had a player reach 20+ kills in a single match was when Raeven Chase put up 20 against Ohio University, Oct. 7, 2022.
» McLoughlin was named to the Popcorn Classic All-Tournament Team after an impressive performance where she produced 46 assists and 13 digs for her first career double-double. The 13 digs topped her previous career-high seven set in two different occasions while her six blocks were good for a career-high after she posted five against IUPUI, Aug. 25.
» This was McLoughlin's fifth contest of the season in which she has helped on double-digit assists and her second 40+ assists match.
» EMU aced the Leathernecks seven times to their opposing five, one less than the team's high of eight set against IUPUI, Aug. 25. It marked the third contest this season where the Eagles recorded seven or more service aces in a single match with the last coming against Oakland University, Sept. 1, when Eastern displayed a season-high 10. Additionally, it was the second time the Eagles out-aced its opponent after doing so against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Aug. 25. The Cougars produced four to EMU's seven.
» Eastern Michigan displayed a better blocking performance than WIU, stopping a total of 13 opposing attacks to their four. It marked the third time the Eagles have defeated their opponent in the blocking battle after doing so against IUPUI, Aug. 25, and then again against Valparaiso, Sept. 1. The 13 team blocks in today's contest was one shy of the team's season-high 14 set against IUPUI, Aug. 25.
» A season-high 54 assists led the Green and White to top its previous team-high 53 set against Bradley University, Aug. 26. Additionally, the team's 68 digs against the Leathernecks attack topped the previous team high of 67 set against IUPUI, Aug. 25.
» EMU's offense contributed a season-high 5 kills in the victory, one more than it did against Bradley University, Aug. 26.
» Aside from winning the match, the Green and White defeated Western Illinois in terms of points (78-66), kills (58-57), aces (7-5), blocks (13-4), assists (54-53), and made two less attacking errors.
Historical Notes
» The Green and White competed in the Popcorn Classic hosted by Valparaiso for the second time in program history. The first was during the 2005 season, when the Eagles went 2-1 in the tournament, defeating both Drake University, and Saint Louis University in three sets before falling to the Beacons in five. Moreover, the tournament marked the 32nd meeting with Oakland (25-7), the eighth with Valparaiso (4-4), and the sixth with Western Illinois (5-1) in program history.
» The victory marked the first for Kevin Foeman as the 10th head coach of the Eastern Michigan volleyball team.
Up Next
Following the Popcorn Classic in Valparaiso, Ind., the team will take a short trip to Rochester, Mich., to partake in the Golden Grizzlies Invitational, hosted by Oakland University, Sept. 8-9. The Eagles are scheduled to face the tournament hosts for the second time this season, Friday, Sept. 8, at noon before meeting with Chicago State University at 5 p.m. Saturday's match will see the Green and White take on the University of Missouri-Kansas City at noon.
