Eastern Kentucky University’s volleyball team handed Central Michigan its first loss of the season, winning 3-2 in a five-set thriller at the Chippewa Invitational on Friday. The Colonels followed up the win with a 3-1 loss to Green Bay later in the day.
Match 1: EKU vs. Central Michigan
EKU defeated Central Michigan (6-1) with set scores of 29-27, 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, and 15-11.
In the first set, the Colonels led 22-20 after a kill from Emma Closurdo, but the Chippewas rallied to tie it at 24-24. Both teams exchanged set points before a block from Closurdo and Paige Wagers secured the set for EKU.
Central Michigan took control early in the second set, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. The Colonels made a late push to close the gap, but CMU ultimately won the set 25-21, tying the match at 1-1.
The third set remained tightly contested, with the teams trading leads. A block from CMU gave them a 22-21 advantage, but EKU responded, and a kill from Wagers clinched the set 25-23, giving the Colonels a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth set, CMU jumped ahead with an 11-3 start, but EKU mounted a comeback to tie it at 18-18. The Chippewas held off the Colonels, winning 25-23 to force a fifth set.
In the deciding set, EKU broke a 2-2 tie with a kill from AG Vandagriff and led the rest of the way. Sarah Mitchell had five kills in the final set, including the match-winner, to give EKU a 15-11 victory.
Mitchell finished with a team-high 16 kills, 18 digs, and three blocks, while Vandagriff contributed 14 kills and five blocks. Wagers added eight kills and 10 total blocks. EKU out-blocked CMU 17-12 and recorded 12 aces to CMU’s eight.
Match 2: EKU vs. Green Bay
In their second match of the day, EKU fell to Green Bay 3-1 (25-19, 25-19, 24-26, 25-22).
Mitchell led the Colonels again with 18 kills, hitting .280 for the match with 20 digs. Vandagriff had 16 kills on a .297 attack percentage, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Green Bay’s strong performance.
Green Bay closed out the first set with an 8-3 run, and in the second set, they scored the final five points to win 25-19 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
EKU extended the match by winning a close third set, breaking a 22-22 tie with kills from Mitchell and Emilee Hill to win 26-24.
The fourth set was another tight battle, with EKU closing the gap to 24-22 after a block from Wagers and Closurdo. However, a kill from Cora Behnke sealed the win for Green Bay.
Behnke led all players with 19 kills, and Green Bay hit .311 as a team while holding EKU to a .182 attack percentage. The Phoenix also had a 7-3 edge in blocks.
Next Up:
EKU (5-3) will conclude the Chippewa Invitational on Saturday with a match against Southeast Missouri at 12 p.m. The game will be available to stream live on ESPN+.
