Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-14,0-4MAC
Ball State
6-8,3-0MAC
Eagles Fall in 3-0 Sweep to Ball State
9/29/2023 7:28:00 PM | Volleyball
Second match of series scheduled for Saturday
Highlight Video
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team suffered a three-set sweep in the opening match of a two-game series with Ball State University Friday, Sept. 29, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) recorded eight kills on the day to lead the Eagles' attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .333. The Green and White saw 13 digs from Hannah Howard (Toledo, Ohio./Saint Ursula Academy) to lead them defensively.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles fell behind early, losing a tough first set 25-18. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as seven points as Ball State grabbed the advantage for good at 6-5 in a set that was tied up four times before the Cardinals took control.
SET 2 | EMU fell in the second set 25-17, digging a 2-0 hole in the match. The Eagles fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set.
SET 3 | Ball State finished off the sweep with a set-three win. The Eagles dropped a tough set 25-16. Eastern trailed by as many as 10 points as Ball State grabbed the advantage for good at 2-1 in a set that was tied up just once before the Cardinals took over the lead.
Match Notes
» Sophomore Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, Ohio./Tri-Valley/Ashland) recorded a team-leading 30 assists in the contest. The effort is the 10th time this season in which she has recorded at least 10 assists in a match.
» Eastern Michigan had four players record at least seven kills in the loss. The Eagles have had four or more players register at least seven kills in seven matches this season, including two straight matches.
» The three-set loss marked the fifth match this season that has been decided in three straight sets. The Green and White hold a 1-4 record in such matches.
» Howard led Eastern Michigan in terms of digs with 13. The effort is Howard's ninth consecutive match where she has tallied double-digit digs.
» Eastern Michigan also saw an impressive offensive effort from Callie Minshew (Brandon, Miss./Brandon) who registered 10 points to lead the way for the Eagles. Minshew has tallied double-digit point totals in all but one match on the season for the Green and White.
Historical Notes
» The contest marked the 87th all-time meeting between Eastern Michigan and Ball State. With tonight's result, the Eagles trail Ball State in the all-time series, 59-29, and winning eight of the last ten meetings against Eastern Michigan.
Up Next
The Eagles will conclude a three-match homestand and a two-match series against the Ball State Cardinals Saturday, Sept. 30. First serve is set to begin at 4 p.m. Fans can stream the match on ESPN+.
