Courtesy of MAC Sport Information Departments
Eastern Michigan 3, Central Michigan 0
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team turned in a season-best performance tonight, Nov. 7, as it took down the Mid-American Conference's top-ranked team, Central Michigan, in three sets.
A dominating performance throughout, Eastern (10-15, 5-8 MAC) raced out to an early one set lead, besting Central (20-5, 10-3 MAC), 25-22, in the opening frame. Redshirt senior Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-Monroe) paced the Eagles with a 16-kill performance, while junior Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) added 11 kills of her own. Senior Riley Taylor(Indianapolis, Ind.-Perry Meridian) led EMU with 39 assists.
After claiming the first set, EMU stayed in command, but not without a fight from the Chippewas. A closely-contested second set, the Eagles battled to earn a 27-25 victory. Although Eastern was out-hit by the Chips in the second, it utilized a 10-attempt advantage and a service ace to eventually secure the two-point win.
With two sets in-hand, the Eagles remained confident in the third, racing out to a seven point lead, 9-2, to begin the set. Undeterred, CMU again fought back, eventually taking the lead. A back-and-forth affair, the teams were knotted at 20-a-piece before the Eagles made their final push. Behind hot serving from Taylor, EMU earned five of the match's final seven points, winning the match, 3-0, and handing CMU its first straight-set loss since September.
In the hunt for a MAC Tournament bid, Eastern is back on the court Saturday, Nov. 9, against Kent State University. The match is set to begin at 5 p.m., and will air on ESPN+. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU volleyball, visit EMUEagles.com
Ohio 3, Kent State 0
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio volleyball team (14-12, 6-7 MAC) swept Kent State (12-13, 5-8 MAC), 25-15, 29-27, 28-26, on Thursday evening at the Convocation Center. Junior middle blocker Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.) had the second-highest attacking percentage in program history (minimum 10 attacks) at .857.
"She (Tia Jimerson) had several big swings and she also had some really smart shots tonight," head coach Deane Webb said. "If she wasn't in a great spot, instead of taking a big swing that would lead to an error, she knew where to put the ball. Tonight, she was very intentional on where she put those balls. I'm really proud of her knowing the scouting report and knowing where to put those balls. It was an historic performance."
Jimerson did not commit an error on her historic night at The Convo. Jimerson had 18 kills on 21 swings for her .857 attacking clip. Jimerson surpassed Ohio great Katie Post, who had an .846 clip in 2009 at Miami. Briana Adamovsky owns the record at .875 against Akron in 2003.
"I think the passers put us in really good position to be able to run the ball from different locations on the court," Jimerson said. "Vera and I have been working in and out of the gym on making sure I'm available and open to her so that we can produce those numbers."
Jimerson's 18 kills was the match high. Junior opposite Maggie Nedoma (Brook Park, Ohio) had 11 kills on 34 swings. Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Park (Millersburg, Ohio) posted nine kills while graduate transfer outside hitter Shayla Phillip (Columbia, S.C.) recorded four.
Junior setter Vera Giacomazzi (San Vendemiano, Italy) had 43 assists and guided the offense to a red-hot .306 attacking
percentage. Giacomazzi helped Ohio outkill Kent State, 49-47. She recorded her 16th double-double of the year when she added 14 digs.
Giacomazzi's 14 digs were matched by sophomore libero Emma Tupa (Brecksville, Ohio) who also had 14. Senior defensive specialist Meredith Howe (Grand Rapids, Mich.) had double-digit scoops with 10. Nine players recorded at least one dig while Ohio outdug KSU, 55-49.
The Bobcats had eight team blocks, with Jimerson leading the way with four (one solo, three assisted). Giacomazzi added three, Phillip (one solo, one assisted) and Park (two solo) had two each while Nedoma had one.
Nedoma and Tupa each had three aces in the three-set sweep. Tupa's three was a career-high.
Ohio was down 8-4 in the first set but stormed back to win the set 25-15. The Bobcats hit a scorching .389 in the first frame with 17 kills and just three errors.
OU was down 21-12 in the second set. The Bobcats – with junior Macy Reihing (Lexington, Ky.) serving – rattled off nince-straight points to tie the set at 21-21. Nedoma started the run with a hammer and had six kills in the run. KSU and Ohio traded points until it was 27-27, when a Park kill and ace from Tupa won Ohio the set, 29-27. Ohio hit .282 in the frame on 39 swings and 15 kills.
"Macy (Reihing) did a great job," Webb added. "She hit her zones nine times out of nine times. She put them in some difficult situations."
No team had more than a two point advantage in the third set. Ohio was down 26-25 when a service error knotted up the set. Ohio won on an attack error, 28-26. The Bobcats hit .261 in the last frame with 17 kills on 46 swings.
Ohio will return to The Convo on Saturday to face Central Michigan at 6 p.m. Veterans and active military members will get in free to Saturday's match for Bobcat Warriors Day.
