Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, October 16
Athens, Ohio
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-11,2-6MAC
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Ohio
6-14,4-4MAC
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Eastern Mich.
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Ohio
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Photo by: Justin Casterline/Walt Middleton Photography
Belcher and Siefke Excel, Volleyball Edged by Ohio in Five-Set Thriller
10/16/2025 9:50:00 PM | Volleyball
Belcher secured her sixth double-double of the season, Siefke landed 20+ kills for the third time
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Despite a double-double from Ashlynn Belcher and a 20-kill showing from Ava Siefke, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team was edged in five sets at Ohio University Thursday night inside the Convocation Center, Oct. 16.
Eastern forced a fifth set after initially falling behind 2-1, but was unable to grab the win as the Bobcats won the fifth set, 16-14.
Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) secured her sixth double-double of the season, leading the match with 32 assists while securing 11 digs. Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) poured in a match-high 20 kills off an efficient .238 hitting percentage with nine digs and two blocks.
Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) and Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) led the Green & White defense as Welker posted six blocks, including consecutive rejections to force a fifth set while Srinivasan had a match-high 22 digs.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Eagles jumped out to an early lead, winning the first set, 25-18. Eastern Michigan never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that had just one lead change before EMU took over the lead.,
SET TWO | Eastern Michigan fell in the second set, 25-23, evening the match, 1-1. The Eagles lost in a stanza that featured four lead changes and was tied 16 times. Neither team led by more than three points along the way.
SET THREE | A third-set loss put Eastern in a 2-1 hole as it dropped the frame, 25-17. The Eagles trailed by as many as nine points as Ohio grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that was tied up four times before the Bobcats took over.
SET FOUR | Eastern Michigan broke its two-set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-23 victory in the fourth frame. The Eagles survived a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured seven lead changes and was tied 13 times. Neither team was able to build a lead of more than three points along the way.
SET FIVE | Eastern couldn't complete the comeback, losing the final set, 16-14, and the match, 3-2.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record shifted to 10-11 (2-6 MAC) while Ohio's improved to 6-14 (4-4 MAC).
» Eastern and its opponent had the same hitting percentage (.148) for the first time in the Head Coach Kevin Foeman era (2023-present/83 games).
» EMU tied a season high with 188 attacks.
» Ava Siefke's 20 kills led the match, marking her third time with 20 or more kills this season and her 17th time leading the team. Her three 20+ kill games are the most on the team and rank second in the MAC this season.
» Ava Siefke's .238 hitting percentage is the best in her career when totaling 60+ attacks as she matched a career-best with 63 attacks, the most from an Eagle in a single game in 2025.
» Ashlynn Belcher recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 32 assists and 11 digs. Her 32 dimes led the team, marking the 21st time she has done so this season. The performance marked her 14th this season with at least 30 assists and her sixth match with 10+ digs, elevating her career totals to 27 and 19, respectively.
» Anna Guard (Burlington, Ky./St. Henry District) recorded 12 kills for her second double-digit kill outing this season and fourth in her collegiate tenure.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led the team in digs for the 16th time this season as she grabbed 22, marking her fourth time with 20+ digs in her career, with all occurrences coming this season.
» Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.) collected 17 digs, marking her fifth time with at least 10 digs this season and 14th in her career. Her 17 digs tie for a season-best mark originally set at IU Indy, Sept. 18.
» Ella Grasson (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Padua Franciscan/High Point) notched 12 digs, marking her fifth time with 10+ digs this season. The figure serves as the most 10+ dig performances in her career.
» Hatteras Welker tied a season high with nine kills for the fifth time this season.
Historical Notes
» The match marked the 61st between the Eagles and Bobcats. Overall, Eastern holds a 20-41 mark when facing Ohio and an 8-21 mark when facing it in Athens.
Up Next
Eastern faces Ohio again tomorrow, Oct. 17, 3 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on X for all of the latest EMU volleyball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMU_Volleyball and @emuathletics
Eastern forced a fifth set after initially falling behind 2-1, but was unable to grab the win as the Bobcats won the fifth set, 16-14.
Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) secured her sixth double-double of the season, leading the match with 32 assists while securing 11 digs. Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) poured in a match-high 20 kills off an efficient .238 hitting percentage with nine digs and two blocks.
Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) and Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) led the Green & White defense as Welker posted six blocks, including consecutive rejections to force a fifth set while Srinivasan had a match-high 22 digs.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Eagles jumped out to an early lead, winning the first set, 25-18. Eastern Michigan never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that had just one lead change before EMU took over the lead.,
SET TWO | Eastern Michigan fell in the second set, 25-23, evening the match, 1-1. The Eagles lost in a stanza that featured four lead changes and was tied 16 times. Neither team led by more than three points along the way.
SET THREE | A third-set loss put Eastern in a 2-1 hole as it dropped the frame, 25-17. The Eagles trailed by as many as nine points as Ohio grabbed the advantage for good at 8-7 in a set that was tied up four times before the Bobcats took over.
SET FOUR | Eastern Michigan broke its two-set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-23 victory in the fourth frame. The Eagles survived a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured seven lead changes and was tied 13 times. Neither team was able to build a lead of more than three points along the way.
SET FIVE | Eastern couldn't complete the comeback, losing the final set, 16-14, and the match, 3-2.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record shifted to 10-11 (2-6 MAC) while Ohio's improved to 6-14 (4-4 MAC).
» Eastern and its opponent had the same hitting percentage (.148) for the first time in the Head Coach Kevin Foeman era (2023-present/83 games).
» EMU tied a season high with 188 attacks.
» Ava Siefke's 20 kills led the match, marking her third time with 20 or more kills this season and her 17th time leading the team. Her three 20+ kill games are the most on the team and rank second in the MAC this season.
» Ava Siefke's .238 hitting percentage is the best in her career when totaling 60+ attacks as she matched a career-best with 63 attacks, the most from an Eagle in a single game in 2025.
» Ashlynn Belcher recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 32 assists and 11 digs. Her 32 dimes led the team, marking the 21st time she has done so this season. The performance marked her 14th this season with at least 30 assists and her sixth match with 10+ digs, elevating her career totals to 27 and 19, respectively.
» Anna Guard (Burlington, Ky./St. Henry District) recorded 12 kills for her second double-digit kill outing this season and fourth in her collegiate tenure.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led the team in digs for the 16th time this season as she grabbed 22, marking her fourth time with 20+ digs in her career, with all occurrences coming this season.
» Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.) collected 17 digs, marking her fifth time with at least 10 digs this season and 14th in her career. Her 17 digs tie for a season-best mark originally set at IU Indy, Sept. 18.
» Ella Grasson (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Padua Franciscan/High Point) notched 12 digs, marking her fifth time with 10+ digs this season. The figure serves as the most 10+ dig performances in her career.
» Hatteras Welker tied a season high with nine kills for the fifth time this season.
Historical Notes
» The match marked the 61st between the Eagles and Bobcats. Overall, Eastern holds a 20-41 mark when facing Ohio and an 8-21 mark when facing it in Athens.
Up Next
Eastern faces Ohio again tomorrow, Oct. 17, 3 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on X for all of the latest EMU volleyball updates. Be sure to also follow the Green and White on Instagram, @EMU_Volleyball and @emuathletics
Team Stats
EMU
Ohio
Kills
51
63
Errors
24
34
Attempts
188
201
Hitting %
.144
.144
Points
66.0
86.0
Assists
47
58
Aces
6
10
Blocks
9
13
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballMB/PH
/ VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Volleyball
DS/OH
/ Volleyball
S/DS
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballElite bench squad😤
Monday, October 13
Volleyball Highlights vs. Kent State, Oct. 9, 2025
Friday, October 10
Ava Siefke Career-High 22-Kill Match Highlight
Sunday, October 05
Volleyball Highlights vs. Bowling Green, Oct. 3, 2025
Saturday, October 04