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Volleyball Tops IU-Indy in Nightcap of Opening-Night Doubleheader
8/30/2024 8:21:00 PM | Volleyball
The five-set win against IU-Indy marked the second such victory in the Kevin Foeman era
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team split the first two games of the 2024 season, coming away victorious against Indiana University Indianapolis in a five-set thriller, 3-2, after dropping the season-opener to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in straight sets, 3-0.
Both matches were part of the Hampton Inn Invitational, hosted by IU-Indy at "The Jungle," Friday, Aug. 30.
How It Happened vs SIUE
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early hole, losing the first set, 25-22. SIU-Edwardsville grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that was tied up nine times before the Cougars took control.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan then lost the second set, 25-13, to fall behind in the match two sets to none. EMU trailed by as many as 12 points as SIUE took the lead for good at 3-2 in a set that was tied up three times before the Cougars took over the lead.
SET 3 | SIUE finished the sweep with a third-set win. Eastern came up short by a score of 25-20. With a 5-4 edge, SIUE controlled the remainder of the match.
How It Happened vs IU-Indy
SET 1 | The Eagles dropped a close first set. They went on a five-point run to tie things up at 17 apiece, eventually losing, 28-26. The set was tied 13 times and had three lead changes.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan tied the match at 1-1 with a 27-25 victory in the second set. The Eagles earned the set victory thanks to a strong showing on the attacking end. EMU registered a .344 attack percentage with 16 kills in the set win. After the lead changed hands six times, the Eagles took control for good at 25-24 and rode that advantage to victory. Eastern Michigan's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four IU-Indy attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Eastern fell in set three, 25-17, putting the Eagles in a 2-1 hole. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as eight points as IU-Indy grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Jaguars took over the lead.
SET 4 | EMU then responded to secure the fourth set, 25-12, forcing a fifth set. The Eagles took control of the set at 2-1 and never looked back. Eastern led by 14 points at 23-9 before closing out the stanza. They also supplemented their offense with four aces in the set. The front row was lights-out again, denying four IU-Indy attacks in the set.
SET 5 | The match culminated in a 15-11 fifth-set victory for Eastern. The Eagles grabbed control of the set-five lead at 4-3 and held it the rest of the way. Eastern Michigan led by as many as four points at 10-6 before finishing off the set.
Match Notes vs. SIUE
» Nine newcomers made their EMU debut in Welker, Bri Struck (Broadlands, Ill./Broadlands/Parkland College), Anna Guard (Burlington, Ky./St. Henry District), Maddie Stayer (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor/Southern Miss./Jacksonville State), Ella Grasson (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Padua Franciscan/High Point), Lauren Welch (Union, Ky./Ryle/Ashland), Kaili Doctor (Mars, Pa./Pine-Richland/North Carolina A&T State), Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.), Wrigley Takats (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg), and Hannah Blaney (Saline, Mich./Saline/Rhode Island).
» Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) led the Eagles in points with 8.5, and aces with four. Her four aces tied a career-best previously set vs. Bowling Green State University, Oct. 26, 2023.
» With 34 digs to the Jaguars' 29, Eastern out-dug its opponent for the fifth time in the Kevin Foeman era.
» Stayer had an efficient game, producing three kills on a .600 hitting percentage while dishing 12 assists, marking the fifth game with double-digit helpers of her career and her first doing so as an Eagle.
» Angel Baylark (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington/Tennesse-Martin) and Doctor led Eastern with six kills each.
» Voorhees paced the team in assists with 14 while adding four digs defensively. Her 14 dimes went down as the eighth time she has posted double-digit assists in her collegiate career.
» Blaney and Welker spearheaded the EMU defense. Blaney notched 17 digs, the 37th time in her career doing so with 10-plus digs, and first time with 10 or more digs in a season-opening match. Welker was strong up front as she led Eastern with three total blocks (one solo, two assisted).
Match Notes vs. IU-Indy
» Voorhees posted her second double-double of the day, doing so in just two sets. She finished with 29 assists and 14 digs, marking her first occurrence of consecutive double-doubles in her career.
» Welker tabbed career-highs with six kills and six total blocks in her second career match. She achieved her six kills off a .500 hitting percentage, the highest on the team in the win.
» Kendal Bonney (Pioneer, Ohio/North Central) had a career match, as she smacked 12 kills, the most of her career, while tying career-bests with three digs and one assist.
» Eastern had 17 total blocks to the Jaguars' seven, marking the fifth win where the Eagles out-blocked their opponent in the Foeman era. EMU also out-hit and out-dug its foe, the fifth time a Foeman-led Eastern squad has done so. Additionally, Foeman's Eastern teams are now 5-2 when hitting better than its counterpart.
» Doctor drilled 11 kills off a .259 hitting percentage and assisted on six blocks. Her 11 kills marked her first 10-plus kills performance as an Eagle.
» Siefke paced the Eagles with 18.5 points. She totaled 13 kills while hitting .303 to go along with eight digs. Siefke's 13 kill night marked the fifth double-digit kill outing of her career.
» Blaney led the team in digs with 24 on the night, two off a career-best set against the University of Southern Indiana, Sept. 6, 2022. Blaney has led the Eagles in digs in both matches this season.
» Being out-aced by IU-Indy (9-11), Eastern captured its second win when with less aces than its opponent under Foeman.
» The win marked the third when splitting the first two sets since Foeman took the reins of the program in March of 2023.
Historical Notes vs. SIUE
» After the loss, the Eagles hold a 1-3 all-time record when facing the Jaguars.
Historical Notes vs IU-Indy
» The win marked the second five-set win of the Foeman era. The Eagles previously won in five sets against Western Illinois University, Sept. 2, 2023.
» With Friday night's win, Eastern improved its all-time record when facing the Jaguars to 4-2. Coincidentally, all four wins against IU-Indy have come on the road.
Up Next
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 31, with its final game of the Hampton Inn Invitational. They will face Valparaiso University, first serve is set for 2 p.m.
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.
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