Volleyball gets 21st win
The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team had a weekend sweep, giving it 21 victories on the season.
The Eagles went two for two on the road traveling to Buffalo on Friday and Akron on Saturday to go 21-6 and 8-2 in the Mid-American Conference. Both were important matches for EMU, which leads the MAC’s West division.
On Saturday, EMU won its fourth straight victory, prevaling in five sets at Akron. EMU dropped the first and third sets only to come back to win the fourth and fifth sets, coming back in the fifth to close out the match.
The attack Saturday was led by sophomore Rachel Iaquaniello with 18 kills with 14 digs. Senior Jenn Swartz helped in the victory with 13 kills; freshman Paige Roback had 10 kills. Mason had 46 set assists on the night. Hailey Stein led the way with 27 digs for the game.
The team also beat Buffalo 3-1. EMU won the first set, dropped the second, and won the next two sets closing the last set with a 25-8 score. The win adds another 20-game season to the program’s 35-year history making it the 10th time it has accomplished this feat.
For the Eagles, the attack was led by Swartz and her 14 kills, with a .407 hitting percentage. Freshman Erin Short kept pace with 11 kills, three digs, and two block assists . Junior Ashley Mason also had a good outing, with 43 set assists.
The team is 9-1 on the road. The Eagles have six matches remaining on their schedule, all in the MAC. The MAC tournament starts Nov. 16. The team’s next match is at 7 p.m., Oct 28, against Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.