The Eastern Michigan University women’s volleyball team shone against the Kent State University Golden Flashes at the Convocation Center Nov 3. This was the Eagles’ first time playing against KSU this season, but that didn’t stop them from taking three consecutive sets from the Flashes (25-14, 25-18, 25-14).
This win brought the Eagles to an overall record of 17-13 and 7-7 in the Mid-American Conference. This forced KSU to fall to 6-20 in the season and 3-10 in the MAC.
Once they got enough momentum, EMU earned a lead over KSU and never looked back. The Eagles earned at least two points for every KSU point scored. Senior Kristen Baker killed the ball and earned one of the first points for the Eagles.
The Golden Flashes were insufficient with just a .143 attack percentage (11-5-42) compared to the Eagles’ .341 in the first set. Freshman Alyssa Davis attained a set high of 13 assists and eventually a match- high of 39 assists.
In the second set EMU went on a five point run with junior Erin Short posting three kills, freshman Sierra Reed getting an ace and sophomore Megan Crawshaw receiving her first kill of the set. Kent State slowly began to close the gap when they went on their first three point run of the entire match.
This brought EMU to take a timeout and regain their composure. Junior Paige Roback finished off the set for the Eagles with a kill
assisted by Davis.
With EMU leading by two sets, Eagles fans were fully supportive. Freshman student Jeffrey Oddo found the match exciting and knew they could win.
“They can win if they continue to keep it together and keep their composure,” Oddo said.
The third set seemed to fly by as the Eagles finished the match. From the very first point scored in the set, the Eagles always kept a lead. Later in the set, EMU even earned a five-point lead. This run consisted of three kills from Roback, one from Baker and a KSU attack error.
The Eagles only allowed the Golden Flashes to score one more point of the match when Baker finished off the set with a final kill resulting in another win for EMU.
EMU head coach Kim Berrington said they won the match because they acted as a team.
“Everybody did their job and took care of their responsibilities,” she said.
Short said she believed their “aggressiveness” also contributed to their win.
The Eagles worked as a unit, with multiple players posting double digits. Baker and Roback held 10 kills each with senior Rachel Iaquaniello leading with 17 kills. Reed led the team defensively with 25 digs throughout the match, with Iaquaniello not far behind with 15 digs.
The Eagles will finish their regular season hosting Ball State University Nov. 9 and University of Toledo Nov. 10. Both games start at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. Short said EMU students should come out and support them as they approach the end of their season.
