The Eastern Michigan women’s volleyball team will continue the quest for the Mid-American Conference title beginning on Thursday, Sept. 29, when it takes on Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant.
So far this season, the Eagles have won 13 out of 16 matches, losing only to Notre Dame, Brigham Young and Western Michigan.
The Chippewas of CMU are 7-6 on the season (0-2 MAC). They have an attack percentage of .201, and are second in the MAC with a .163 opponent hitting percentage.
Kelly Maxwell, the Chippewa setter, is ranked first in the MAC with 10.05 assists per set. EMU is 21-51 all-time against CMU heading into Thursday’s match.
After Mount Pleasant, the Eagles will return home for the first time since August to take on 2010 conference champs from Ohio University. The showdown is at 7 p.m. Oct. 1 inside the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats of Ohio University are 10-6 on the season (2-0 MAC). This season, they have the lowest attack percentage in the MAC with just .168, and they are last in service aces as well. However, the Bobcats lead the conference in blocks with 181. Nationally, OU is ranked 18th in blocks per set, posting 2.75 this season.
The Eagles have a lot of strength and talent this season too, as has been shown in the number of victories EMU has.
Junior outside hitter Rachel Iaquaniello has been a driving force for the Eagles.
She is second in the conference for kills per set with 4.04 and she leads the team with 659 attacks this season. She has put up a .200 hitting percentage this season in 16 matches, which is good for the 45th spot nationally.
Junior libero Haley Stein is known to dig the Eagles out of trouble; she is second overall in the conference with 5.43 digs per set and recently had 34 digs for the 4th time in her career.
After averaging 6.5 digs per set in the opening week of MAC play, Stein was named the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week, her first this season and third of her career.
Junior Kristen Baker has a team-high total of 53 blocks, with 217 in her career.
Senior setter Ashley Mason has been a strong force for the Eagles, too. She has 4,245 sets as an Eagle, good enough for third-best in school history, and she is ranked sixth in the conference for assists with 10.02 per match.
Kim Berrington has 243 wins, making her the coach with most wins in program history. Throughout her entire coaching career, Berrington has garnered a total of 346 wins.
