Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
12-10,6-2MAC
Northern Illinois
3-14,1-6MAC
Volleyball Mounts Ferocious Comeback, Edges NIU in Five Sets
10/17/2024 9:27:00 PM | Volleyball
With the win, the Eagles have recorded three reverse sweeps in a single season for the first time since 2014
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team stormed back from down two sets to top Northern Illinois University, 3-2, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Thursday, Oct. 17.
The match marked the third reverse sweep of the season for the Eagles, the most from the program in a single season since it also accomplished the feat three times in the 2014 campaign.
The conference victory improved Eastern Michigan's record to 12-10 overall and 6-2 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) action.
The Eagles offense was paced by Abby Stanford (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri Valley/Ashland), who finished with a career-high 18 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .533, and by Kaili Doctor (Mars, Pa./Pine-Richland/N.C. A&T State), who had 13 while hitting .313.
Defensively, Eastern had four players reach double figures in digs, highlighted by Hannah Blaney's (Saline, Mich./Saline/Rhode Island) 18, 14 from Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy), and 10 more from Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia), who secured her third double-double of the season, as she added 17 assists offensively. Joining Smith with a double-double was Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.), who secured her team-leading seventh of the season off 30 assists and 10 digs.
From the front row, Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Big Walnut) contributed eight blocks and Maddie Stayer (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor/Southern Miss./Jacksonville State) added five rejections.
How it Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles fell behind early, dropping a tough first set, 25-15. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 10 points as Northern Illinois grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied up four times before the Huskies took control.
SET 2 | Eastern fell in set two, 25-23, digging a 2-0 hole in the match. NIU grabbed the advantage for good at 16-15 in a set that was tied up six times before the Huskies grabbed control in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | EMU fought back to pull within 2-1 in the match, winning its first set of the contest in the third frame. The Eagles won the set, 25-18, thanks to a solid showing on the attacking side, as Eastern Michigan registered a .394 attack percentage with 15 kills in the set win. The Eagles ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish it out.
SET 4 | Eastern then kept the comeback train rolling, winning the fourth set, 25-23, bringing the match level at two sets apiece. The Eagles took the lead for good at 7-6 in a set that had just one lead change before the Green and White took over. The Eagles' win came in a stanza where 17 of their 25 points were scored via the kill.
SET 5 | Eastern's comeback culminated in a 15-10 fifth-set victory, taking the match, 3-2. The Eagles led from the first point on to secure the win. Eastern Michigan opened up as much as an eight-point lead at 11-3 before closing out the set, totaling nine kills in the process.
Match Notes
» Voorhees led the team in assists for the 16th time in 2024 with 30, The 30 assists mark the first time that an Eastern player has had 30 assists in a match this season. Voorhees also added 10 digs defensively for her team-leading seventh double-double this season, and ninth of her career. The sophomore has recorded a double-double in three of her previous four games.
» Stanford drilled a career-best 18 kills in the match, marking her sixth double-digit kills performance of the season, and fourth consecutive match doing so, her longest 10+ kills streak in her career. Stanford has set a career-high in kills in three of the last four matches.
» Smith dished 17 assists and added 10 digs for her third double-double of the season, the most from any Eastern freshman. Smith has hit her stride, as she notched her ninth match with double figures in the stat. Additionally, she has posted a double-double in three of her previous four matches and has totaled 10+ assists in nine of her eleven total matches played this season.
» Doctor recorded 13 kills. Doctor has tabbed double figures in the stat in 10 of her 13 matches played this season. She is one 10+ kills match away from tying her total from last season (11) at North Carolina A&T.
» Blaney paced the team in digs for the 17th time in 2024, as she grabbed 18 of them in the win, marking her 19th match this season with at least 10 digs. Blaney has reached double figures in the stat in 57 of her 95 career matches (60%). Blaney leads the MAC in digs with 367 while standing seventh in the nation in the stat.
» Siefke tallied 10 digs in the victory over NIU. It is the ninth time this season in which she has recorded double-digit digs and the 15th time in her career.
» Eastern Michigan won the kills battle against NIU, 63-60. Eastern has won the kills battle in seven matches and has a 6-1 record in such contests this season. Foeman-led Eastern teams are 14-4 when out-hitting its foe.
» The Eagles had more blocks than the Huskies, rejecting 12 to NIU's 10. It is the 15th time they have beaten their opponent in this respective category in 2024. Eastern posts a 11-4 record when doing so. The match also marked Eastern's 12th totaling 10 or more blocks. It posts a 9-3 record when swatting 10 or more this season.
» Additionally, Eastern had a better hitting percentage than NIU, as it hit .217 compared to NIU's .160. It is the 12th time this season in which the Eagles have outhit their opponent. They have a 10-2 record in such matches.
Historical Notes
» Thursday's match marked the 69th all-time between the Eagles and Huskies. After the win, Eastern holds a 30-39 record against the Huskies, and a 20-15 mark when facing them at home.
» The victory went down as Eastern's first over NIU since the 2021 campaign, when they bested the Huskies on the road in five sets, Oct. 2. Thursday's win also marked the first time Eastern has topped Northern Illinois at home since they swept it in 2019, Nov. 1.
» The win elevated Eastern's conference record to 6-2, marking their first time with six conference wins since the 2019 season. The Eagles are now looking to start 7-2 in MAC play for the first time since the 2010 season.
» After coming back from down two sets to win the match, 3-2, Eastern has recorded three reverse sweeps this season for the first time since 2014 when it reverse swept Marshall (Aug. 29), UIC (Aug. 30), and Buffalo (Oct. 24).
Up Next
The Eagles are back on the court tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 18, for a match against the defending MAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions, Western Michigan University. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
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
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