East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is set to face the Ohio Bobcats in a pair of matches at the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The contests are scheduled for Friday, October 25 at 6 p.m., and Saturday, October 26 at 4 p.m.

Eastern Michigan currently holds a conference winning percentage of .667, tying them for the second-best record in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with nine matches left to play. The Eagles have faced Ohio 58 times before, holding a record of 19-39 against them overall and an 11-17 record when playing in Ypsilanti. The last victory for Eastern over Ohio was during the COVID-adjusted season on March 8, 2021.

Coach Kevin Foeman is seeking his first win against Ohio since taking charge of the Eagles. Last season, Eastern lost both encounters with Ohio on November 3 and November 4.

Eastern's recent five-set win over Bowling Green marked their eleventh win this season. This surpasses their total wins from last year and two more than they achieved in both the previous two seasons combined. Currently off to a strong start with six wins out of nine MAC games, Eastern aims to secure its seventh and eighth conference victories this weekend.

The team has also seen success nationally; it ranks second in total blocks across all teams with a figure of 232.5 and is ranked among the top fifty nationally in several other statistical categories.

Notable individual performances include senior Hannah Blaney who ranks first in MAC for digs this season while freshman Hatteras Welker leads MAC's block standings. Coach Foeman's team has shown resilience by securing three reverse sweeps so far this year—a feat not accomplished since their successful campaign back in 2014.

Following these home matches against Ohio, EMU will travel to face Ball State Cardinals on November 1-2.