The Eastern Michigan University women’s volleyball team is just six days away from gearing up for their 2023 season.
The Eagles, a very seasoned and experienced team this year with the number of returners from a season ago, will also see some newcomers this season, especially first-year head coach, Kevin Foeman.
Foeman previously spent his time as the head coach at Ashland University where he saw great success. In five seasons at Ashland, Foeman led the Eagles to two NCAA Division II Championships while capturing four conference titles, and a GMAC regular season title.
Although the decision wasn’t an easy one to depart Ashland, Foeman saw great opportunities both on and off the court in Ypsilanti.
“The biggest sell for me and my family was that we saw Eastern as something that we could truly sell to recruits while being happy at,” Foeman said about his decision to come to EMU. “Everything that Eastern presented was it. The area around, all of the opportunities it gives my family, how beautiful the school is, and what it presents to future student-athletes.”
Returning to the squad for the Eagles this year is senior Samantha Basham, sophomore Emma McMahon, senior Bella Hommes, junior Mackenzie Gross, senior Olivia Szylar, grad Callie Minshew, sophomore Jessica Wilson, junior Mekayla Koger, junior Emily Surin, and sophomore Sabrina Gremm.
Some new faces will arrive as well in Ypsilanti, as freshman Surabhi Srinivasan, sophomore Ellie McLoughlin, freshman Aubriegh Oswald, freshman Hannah Howard, freshman Ava Siefke, junior Hannah Kivett, senior Angel Baylark, sophomore Kendal Bonney, and sophomore Abigail Stanford will all be joining the Eagles for the new season.
It will be a whole new University for McLoughlin, Bonney, and Stanford, but familiarity stands with all three, as they previously spent their time at Ashland University before making the switch to EMU alongside Foeman.
“It means a lot to have those three here with me,” Foeman said. “It helps to bridge that gap between people who may not know us right away, and understanding things that will help them get comfort with us.”
When asked about the goals and expectations for this team this year, Foeman expressed the importance of control, grit, and competitiveness.
“I want to control the ball better, control the controllable. Those mistakes that are made, teams that don’t win as much make them more than the teams that win often,” Foeman said. “We want to be competitive and have a chance to win every single match we go in. We don’t want to be dead and defeated, we want to be prepared to have a chance to win, and have that confidence.”
The Eagles will officially kick off their regular season with four non-conference tournaments, before beginning conference play which will consist of a total of 18 games.
Before the unofficial season starts, the Eagles will hold an exhibition match against Hillsdale on Saturday, August 19, at the George Gervin GameAbove Center. That is set to begin at 1 p.m.
For their full-season schedule, you can visit EMUEagles.com.
