Previews courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Volleyball is Back on the Court for Mid-Week Competition in Week 2

Miami RedHawks (3-0, 0-0 MAC) 
The Red and White open home play by hosting the Miami/Best Western Invitational this week, Sept. 4-5. The RedHawks will begin the tournament against Evansville at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, and they will play their second match of the day in the evening versus Kansas City at 7:30 p.m. Miami concludes the tournament by facing off with Purdue Fort Wayne at 3 p.m. on Saturday. 

TELEVISION: Each Miami match at the Miami/Best Western Invitational will be available to watch on ESPN+. All other matches will stream for free on MiamiRedHawks.com.

UP NEXT: The Red and White hit the road once again for the ISTAP Collegiate Cup on Sept. 11-12. The RedHawks will take on Nicholls, Alabama State, and South Carolina State.

RECENT ACTION: The RedHawks went 2-1 at the Bearkat Invitational last weekend, with wins against McNeese and Cal State Fullerton. Miami's 25-3 set three win against Cal State Fullerton was the fewest points allowed in a set in Miami history since rally scoring was introduced in 2001. Sophomore outside hitter Molly Creech and senior outside hitter Chelsea Williams were named to the Bearkat Invitational All-Tournament Team. Creech recorded 4.33 kills per set while maintaining a .239 hitting percentage. She also had 52 kills, five service aces, and three assists offensively, while adding 21 digs and two blocks on defense. Williams put down 2.92 kills per set with a .338 hitting percentage. She totaled 35 kills, seven digs, and three blocks.

Eastern Michigan Eagles (3-0, 0-0 MAC) 
The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team aims for its first 4-0 start since the 2012 season as it's slated for three matches at the Chick-fil-A Robinson Classic, co-hosted by Duquesne and Robert Morris in the greater Pittsburgh area. Eastern will take on Duquesne at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse Friday, Sept. 4, 11 a.m., before facing Robert Morris at the UPMC Events Center later that day, 6 p.m. The Eagles take on Elon Saturday, Sept. 5, 12 p.m., before returning to Ypsilanti to open the home portion of the 2026 season against Illinois State Sunday, Sept. 6, 2:30 p.m.

FIRST SERVES
» Eastern is off to its best start since 2018. A 4-0 start would mark the best since 2012 and the longest winning streak since 2018.
» 49.5% of Eastern's 205.0 total points have been scored by the freshman class.
» Azra Eriç, Bianca Salvador, and Surabhi Srinivasan were named USI Invitational All-Tournament Team, Aug. 29.
» Azra Eriç currently leads the MAC in blocks (1.83) and aces per set (0.67). Eastern leads the conference in aces per set (2.33) and ranks third in blocks per set (3.08).  
» Eastern most recently won the USI Invitational, hosted by Southern Indiana, Aug. 28-29.
» Eastern has 14 newcomers, the second-most nationally. It returns six players from the 2025 roster.
» Eastern has eight freshmen, its most since at least the 1999 season.
» Eastern lost 75% of its points scored in the 2025 season, including 73% of its total kills, 92% of its solo blocks, and 79% of its block assists. Setting-wise, the team lost 89% of its total assists.
» Head Coach Kevin Foeman and Asst. Coach/Director of Operations Remy Foeman are married and have three children. They are one of six married couples coaching together at the NCAA Division I level.
» Head Coach Kevin Foeman is entering his fourth season at the helm of the program and his 11th year as a head coach. Overall, he holds a 187-151 career record and 34-62 mark at EMU.

Eastern is off to its best start since 2018 when it also started 3-0. A 4-0 start would mark the best since it started 4-0 in 2012, while any additional win throughout the week would serve as the best start since a 10-0 spurt to start the 2010 season.

Eastern's three-game win streak ties the longest in the Foeman era. EMU hasn't won four straight games since 2018 when it rattled off five consecutive wins that concluded in the program's only MAC Tournament Championship, Nov. 18. The run also featured Eastern's last five-game winning streak. EMU last won six straight in 2012, Sept. 1-8, and it last won seven consecutive games in 2011 when it posted eight straight victories, Aug. 27-Sept. 9.

Azra Eriç, Bianca Salvador, and Surabhi Srinivasan were named USI Invitational All-Tournament Team after leading the Eagles to a tournament championship with wins over NIU (3-2) and Southern Indiana (3-1) on Aug. 28, before topping Murray State (3-0) on Aug. 29. Eriç recorded 1.83 blocks, 0.67 aces, and 3.00 points per set. Salvador posted 20 kills of a .472 hitting percentage with 12 digs in her lone contest against NIU, and Srinivasan recorded 4.25 digs per set with a career-best 27 against Murray State.

Eastern's freshman class has accounted for 49.5% of the team's 205.0 points. Haley Trosky leads the freshmen with 32.0 points, the second-most on the team. She is followed by Maddie Herman (23.5), Olivia Beaudrie (22.5), Nattie Slusher (21.5), and Lina Govoni (2.0). Govoni also leads the team in assists, averaging 4.91 per set in the 6-2 system.

Eastern ranks 23rd nationally and third in the MAC with 3.08 blocks per set. EMU is the only MAC team with three players ranking inside the conference top 10 in the category. Azra Eriç paces the MAC and ranks 15th in the country with 1.83 blocks per set, while Taeley Mahler and Maddie Herman tie for ninth in the conference at 1.08 per set.

The Eagles lead the MAC and rank 17th in the country, averaging 2.33 aces per set. Eastern's 12 aces against Murray State on Aug. 29 are the most in one game in the MAC. Azra Eriç is tied for the conference lead with 0.67 aces per set Olivia Beaudrie ranks second with 0.57 per set.

Eastern is opening its 51st year of volleyball against Illinois State on Sunday. Overall, EMU is 34-15-1 in home opening games after sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne last season, Sept. 4.

Eastern stays in the Mitten State for the Golden Grizzly Invitational, hosted by Oakland Friday-Saturday, Sept. 11-12. It will face Montana and UAB on Sept. 11, and Oakland on Sept. 12. 

Bowling Green Falcons (3-0, 0-0 MAC)
The Bowling Green State University volleyball team opens its home schedule this weekend in the Best Western Invitational. The four-team, round robin tournament will take place Sept. 4-5. This year's field will feature host Bowling Green, Arkansas State, Northern Kentucky and American. The Falcons will play two matches on Friday and one on Saturday. All BGSU matches in the Best Western Invitational will be available to stream on ESPN+ while all neutral site contests will stream on the WBGU YouTube. 

Best Western Invitational 
Friday, September 4
American vs. Northern Kentucky | 10 a.m.
Arkansas State at Bowling Green | 1 p.m.
Arkansas State vs. Northern Kentucky | 4 p.m.
American at Bowling Green | 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 5
American vs. Arkansas State | 11 a.m.
Northern Kentucky at Bowling Green | 5 p.m.

First Serve 

• The Falcons open up their 2026 home schedule and will look to win their home opener for the eighth-straight season. The streak is the longest for consecutive home opener victories in program history.-Bowling Green will kick off the weekend against Arkansas State with the opportunity to improve to 4-0 for the ninth time in program history and first since the 2020 season when the Falcons won 19 straight contests on their way to a program-best 22-2 record.
• Bowling Green won all three of its matches in the Jim Stone Challenge hosted by Ohio State and kicked off the season with a four-set victory over the Buckeyes which marked the first win over a power conference school since 2023.
• The Falcons' begin their home schedule which includes 13 matches that are scheduled to be played in the Stroh Center.
• Bowling Green is in the program's 51st varsity season with the program beginning during the 1976 season. This year marks the 44th season in the Mid-American Conference for BGVB, officially joining the sports in the MAC in 1983. 

BOZIC SNAGS WEEKLY AWARD
Anastasija Bozic tallied double-digit kills in all three matches but shined the brightest in the five-set reverse sweep over Northern Kentucky. Bozic took over offensively for BGSU, landing a career-high 24 kills for the first 20-kill match of her career. She did so while maintaining a .306 hitting percentage on 62 attacks. Bozic added seven digs in the match, as well as in the first match against Ohio State, while filling out her stat line against the Norse with four block assists, three assists, and two aces.
 
The Falcons continue tournament play in the Xavier Invitational on Sept. 11-12. The Orange and Brown will match up against a field consisting of Austin Peay, Saint Louis and host Xavier. Bowling Green will face Austin Peay at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 before Saturday's two-match slate against Saint Louis at 10 a.m. and Xavier at 7:30 p.m.

Kent State Golden Flashes (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
Preview coming soon...
 

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