Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
7-8,1-0MAC
Kent State
1-10,0-1MAC
Chaos in Kent: Volleyball Executes Reverse Sweep, Tops Kent State to Open MAC Play, 3-2
9/26/2024 9:37:00 PM | Volleyball
The win marks Eastern's first conference-opening victory since 2018, and its first reverse sweep since 2021
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team opened Mid-American Conference play in hectic fashion, as the Eagles pulled off the reverse sweep for the first time since the 2021 season, besting Kent State University, 3-2, inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center Thursday, Sept. 26.
The win went down as Eastern's first time winning its conference opener since the 2018 campaign, and the first time it won a MAC opener in five sets since 2016. After the match, the Eagles moved to 7-8 (1-0 MAC) on the season, while KSU moved to 1-10 (0-1 MAC).
The Eagles were led by a double-double from Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy), who registered 14 kills and 10 digs on the day. Kendal Bonney (Pioneer, Ohio/North Central/Ashland) also added 12 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Hannah Blaney (Saline, Mich./Saline/Rhode Island) chipped in with 27 digs to go with four blocks from Abby Stanford (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri Valley/Ashland).
How it Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles found themselves in an early deficit, losing a tough first set, 25-15. Eastern Michigan trailed by as many as 11 points as Kent State grabbed the advantage for good at 10-9 in a set that was tied up five times before the Golden Flashes took control.
SET 2 | A 25-22 second-set loss put Eastern in a 2-0 deficit in the match. The Eagles rallied from a nine-point, 15-6 hole, but Kent State held on to take the set.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan stayed alive with a victory in the third set to make it a 2-1 match. The Eagles survived a back-and-forth set to win, 25-21 in a stanza that featured six lead changes and was tied 12 times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than four points along the way. The Eastern offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Eastern Michigan then kept the comeback train rolling, winning the fourth set, 25-17 to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Eagles took the lead for good at 15-14 in a set that had just one lead change before the Eagles took over in the second half of the frame. Eastern was again lethal from the serve line, landing three aces in the set.
SET 5 | Eastern Michigan dropped the first two sets, but put together a furious rally to grab the final three sets, culminating in a 15-9 fifth-set victory to take the match, 3-2. The Eagles grabbed the fifth set with the help of a solid performance on the attacking end. EMU posted a .389 attack percentage with 10 kills in the set win. The Eagles ended on a strong note, stretching their lead (six) to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza.
Match Notes
» Eastern's 12 aces are the most in the Head Coach Kevin Foeman, and stand as the third-most in a single match in the conference this season. The Eagles are now 3-1 when totaling more aces than their opponent in 2024.
» With seven blocks to Kent State's six, EMU out-blocked its opponent for the 10h time this season, it is 7-3 in such matches.
» Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich./Pewamo-Westphalia) recorded the first ace of her career. She added two more before the match finished, bringing her career-best mark to three. Smith finished the match with 17 assists, her third time with 10 or more in a match this season. The freshman also added three kills, a career-best.
» Anna Guard (Burlington, Ky./St. Henry District) set career-bests with four aces and seven digs. Her four aces marked her first time leading the team in the stat. Guard's four aces tie Siefke for the most from an Eagle this season.
» Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.) led the team in assists for 11th time this season, and notched her seventh double-digit dimes performance of the season, finishing with 21 in the match.
» Blaney grabbed a career-best 27 digs, leading the Eagles in the category for the 10th time in 2024, and marking her 12th double-digit digs outing of the season, as well as her fifth time going over 20 in 2024. Additionally, her 27 digs are the most from an individual player in the MAC this season.
» Siefke drilled a season-high 14 kills, marking the outside hitter's fourth match with 10+ kills this season and eighth time doing so in her career. Her 14 kills also led the Eagles, her third time leading the squad in kills this season. Siefke added 10 digs defensively for her first double-double of the season and fifth of her career.
» Bonney recorded 12 kills, marking the junior's seventh time with double digits in the category this season, and her eighth time with 10 or more points as she scored 12.5 for the Green and White.
Historical Notes
» Thursday evening's match marked the 64th all-time between Eastern and Kent State. The Eagles remain in the series lead after the result with a 37-23-1 all-time record when facing the Golden Flashes, and a 17-12 mark when facing them in Kent.
» With 27 digs on the night, Blaney eclipsed the 1,000 mark in her career. She is now up to 1,014 digs in her four-year NCAA volleyball tenure.
» After the win, the Eagles post a 23-22 record in MAC openers, as 2024 is the program's 45th season competing in the conference. The Eagles last won a conference-opening match in the 2018 season, when they topped rivals Central Michigan University on the road in four sets, 3-1, Sept. 20, 2018.
» After losing the first two sets, the Eagles went on to win the next three frames, marking the programs first reverse sweep since it came back to win against Montana University, 3-2, in the final match of the 2021 College of Charleston Invitational, Aug. 28.
» EMU's five-set win over the Golden Flashes to open MAC play is the first time Eastern has won a five-set conference opener since it bested the University of Toledo to open the 2016 slate of conference play, Sept. 23.
» The Eagles landed 12 aces, the most in the Foeman era, and the most from the team since it reached 13 against Bryant, Sept. 13, 2013.
Up Next
The Eagles are back on the court tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 26, as they are set to face the Golden Flashes at 6 p.m. once again.
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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 stay up-to-date on all things Eastern athletics at EMUEagles.com.
