Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
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Ball State
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Welker Tallies Career-Best in Kills as Eagles fall to Cardinals
11/2/2024 5:28:00 PM | Volleyball
The Eagles are back on the court at home against Central Michigan Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m.
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – Hatteras Welker recorded a career-best 10 kills as the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fell to Ball State in straight sets inside Worthen Arena Saturday, Nov. 2.
Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Big Walnut) finished with 10 kills on the day to lead the Eagles attack while posting four blocks to pace the defense at the net. Eastern got eight digs from Hannah Blaney (Saline, Mich./Saline/Rhode Island) to spearhead the defense from the back row. Maddie Stayer (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor/Southern Miss./Jacksonville State) led the team in assists for the ninth time in 2024 as she dished out 17.
How it Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles fell behind early, dropping a tough first set, 25-13. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 13 points as Ball State never surrendered the lead in a set that was never tied before the Cardinals took control.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan then dropped set two, 25-19, to fall behind in the match, 2-0. The Eagles had their best offensive set, drilling 15 kills off a .219 hitting percentage in the set loss.
SET 3 | The Eagles lost a tough set, 25-16. Eastern trailed by as many as nine points as Ball State grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that was knotted up two times before the Cardinals took over the lead. Eastern was tough at the net defensively in the stanza, blocking seven BSU attacks.
Match Notes
» Welker's 10 kills marked a career-best. Her four blocks led the team to mark her 14th time doing so this season. Welker leads the MAC with 114 blocks and blocks per set (1.30).
» Stayer led the team in assists for the ninth time this season as she posted her 12th match of the season with double-digit assists.
» Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia) distributed 10 assists for her 13th game with at least 10 assists. Smith has tabbed 10 or more assists in 13 of her 16 matches played this season.
» Blaney grabbed eight digs to lead the Eagles for the 21st time this season. She leads the MAC with 422 digs.
Historical Notes
» Saturday's match marked the 90th all-time between the Eagles and Cardinals. After the result, Eastern holds a 28-62 record against Ball State and a 10-31 mark when facing it in Muncie.
» Welker led the Eagles with four blocks in the match. Welker has 114 blocks this season, the most from an EMU freshman in the rally scoring era (2008-pres.). She also leads the MAC in both blocks and blocks per set (1.30).
» With 264.5 total blocks, the 2024 Eagles' squad has the third-most total blocks in program history in the rally scoring era. They would need to get to 321 TB to set the single-season program record, and 276.5 to take over the second spot.
Up Next
Eastern will return to Ypsilanti for its next three matches. The first of which is against Central Michigan Tuesday, Nov. 5. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
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