East Michigan News

Eastern Michigan University's volleyball team faced a setback against the Ohio Bobcats, losing 3-1 in a four-set match at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on Friday, October 25. The Eagles' offense was led by Kaili Doctor and Abby Stanford, each contributing 10 kills. Defensively, Maddie Stayer recorded 14 digs and added 18 assists for her fourth double-double of the season, while Hannah Blaney contributed 12 digs.

In the first set, Eastern Michigan fell behind early and lost 25-16 after Ohio took control at a score of 7-6. The second set saw Eastern lose again with a score of 25-21 despite achieving a .351 attack percentage with 15 kills. The Eagles managed to stay in the game by winning the third set 25-22 in a closely contested battle that featured five lead changes. However, they could not maintain their momentum and lost the fourth set decisively at 25-14.

The Eagles out-blocked Ohio eight to six but could not capitalize on this advantage. "Stayer recorded her fourth double-double of the season," noted EMUEagles.com. Stanford's performance marked her seventh double-digit kill game this season, hitting an efficient .368 during the match.

Taylor Smith provided significant support with 13 assists, marking her eleventh game with over ten assists this year. Blaney continued to lead defensively for Eastern Michigan as she achieved double-digit digs for the nineteenth time this season.

Historically, Eastern holds a record of 19 wins and 40 losses against Ohio Bobcats and has won only eleven out of twenty-nine matches played in Ypsilanti.

The Eagles will face off against Ohio again on Saturday, October 26 at home.