Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
8-9,2-1MAC
Central Michigan
12-3,3-0MAC
Volleyball Drops Mid-Week Match to Central Michigan
10/1/2024 7:56:00 PM | Volleyball
The match marked the 100th all-time between the Eagles and Chippewas
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – In the 100th all-time meeting between the storied institutions, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fell to Central Michigan University, 3-0, Tuesday, Oct. 1, on the road inside McGuirk Arena. After the match, the Eagles shift to 8-9 (2-1 Mid-American Conference).
Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) finished with seven kills on the day to lead the Eagles attack. Defensively, Eastern had three players reach double figures in digs, including Hannah Blaney's (Saline, Mich./Saline/Rhode Island) 20, 11 from Siefke, and a career-high 10 more from Anna Guard (Burlington, Ky./St. Henry District).
How it Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early deficit, dropping a tough first set, 25-19. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as six points as Central Michigan grabbed the advantage for good at 12-11 in a set that was tied up five times before the Chippewas took control.
SET 2 | A 25-20 second-set loss put Eastern behind, 2-0 in the match. Central grabbed the advantage for good at 19-18 in a set that was knotted up 12 times before the Chippewas took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | EMU could not win set three and was swept by the Chippewas. The Eagles fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before falling in the set, 25-15.
Match Notes
» With 57 digs to Central's 54, the Eagles out-dug their opponent for the 11th time in 2024, they post a 7-4 record when doing so.
» Blaney led the team in digs with 20, marking her 14th double-digit digs outing of the season, seventh time with 20 or more, and her 12th time pacing the team in the stat.
» Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia) dished 18 assists for her fifth match with 10+ assists this season. Smith led the Eagles in the category for the third time this year, while the match also went down as the freshman's first time leading the team in dimes in consecutive matches.
» Guard recorded a career-best 10 digs in the match, marking her first time notching double figures in the stat.
» Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.) reached double figures in assists for the 15th time this season, as she distributed 13.
» Maddie Stayer (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor/Southern Miss./Jacksonville State) led the team in kills (seven) and points (7.5). It went down as her first time leading the team in kills this season.
Historical Notes
» Tuesday's match marked the 100th all-time between the Eagles and Chippewas. After the result, the Eagles hold a 31-69 record when facing CMU, and a 15-29 mark when facing it in Mt. Pleasant. Additionally, the win snapped a seven-match losing streak to Central.
Up Next
The Eagles return home to Ypsilanti for two matches against the Miami RedHawks Friday-Saturday, Oct. 4-5. Friday's game will start at 6 p.m. while Saturday's is set for a 4 p.m. first serve.
Follow Us
Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on X for all of the latest EMU volleyball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMU_Volleyball and @emuathletics.
