Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
12-14,4-9MAC
Akron
13-11,6-7MAC
Volleyball Falls in Hard-Fought Five-Set Tilt to Akron
10/31/2025 8:27:00 PM | Volleyball
Eastern fell behind 2-0 before winning consecutive sets, eventually falling, 3-2.
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fought valiantly in a 3-2 loss at the University of Akron, inside John A. Rhodes Arena, Friday, Oct. 31.
Eastern fell behind, 2-0, before storming back to take the third and fourth set, but eventually fell in the fifth, 15-6.
The Eagles had a pair of double-doubles on the night with Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.) grabbing a team-high 20 assists with 14 digs, and Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) drilling 11 kills off a .222 hitting percentage with 16 digs, and one ace. Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) landed 10 kills off a .429 hitting percentage to go with three aces and five blocks.
Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) secured a team-best 17 digs as four Eagles posted nine kills or more.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Eagles fell behind early, dropping the first set, 25-21. Akron grabbed the advantage for good at 6-5 in a set that was knotted up two times before the Zips took control.
SET TWO | A 25-21 set-two loss put Eastern Michigan behind 2-0 in the match. The Eagles lost the first point and never took the lead before dropping the set.
SET THREE | Eastern Michigan rallied back to pull within two sets to one, winning its first set of the match in the third stanza. The Eagles survived a back-and-forth set to win, 25-22, in a set that featured three lead changes and was tied 11 times as Eastern hit .244 with 14 kills and just three errors. Neither team had a lead of more than three points along the way. Eastern Michigan's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Akron attacks in the stanza.
SET FOUR | Eastern continued its comeback, winning the fourth set, 25-21, to bring the match level at two sets apiece featuring an 11-kill, one-error set from the Green and White to go with two total blocks. The Eagles scored first and never trailed in the set to secure the victory. Eastern Michigan had as much as a nine-point lead at 18-9 before finishing off the stanza.
SET FIVE | EMU fell 15-6 in the final set. The Eagles fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record shifted to 12-14 (4-9 MAC) while Akron's improved to 12-12 (6-7 MAC).
» EMU went to five sets for the fifth time this season, producing a 2-3 record when doing so.
» Eastern's best offensive set was the fourth, landing 11 kills off 33 swings with just one error for a .303 hitting percentage.
» Hatteras Welker (10), Ava Siefke (11), Kendal Bonney (Pioneer, Ohio/North Central/Ashland) (9), and AshleeKay Christensen (Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle) (9) each recorded nine or more kills.
» Hatteras Welker added three service aces, marking her eighth-straight match with at least one ace. Welker has at least one ace in 21-of-26 matches this season. Welker's 21 matches with at least one ace are tied for the second-highest mark in the nation, are the most in the MAC, and are the most of any middle in the country.
» Hatteras Welker landed at least three aces for the third time this season as she has done so in back-to-back matches for the first time in 2025 and second in her career. Welker previously recorded four aces in the win over Central Michigan, Oct. 28. She has led the Eagles in aces eight times this season.
» Hatteras Welker notched 10+ points for the 18th time this season, as she recorded 15.5 on the night off 10 kills, three aces, and five blocks. The sophomore's 10 kills marked her third time reaching double figures in the stat this season, the most of her career. She also hit over .400 with over 20 attacks for the third time in her career and second time in 2025.
» Ella Voorhees recorded the eighth double-double of her career and first of the season as she led the Eagles with a season-best 20 assists and pitched in for 14 digs. The match marked her second time this season with 20 or more assists and her seventh with double-digit digs.
» Ava Siefke secured her 10th double-double of the season with 11 kills and 16 digs. Her 10 double-doubles tie for the fourth most in the conference as she collected her 20th match with 10+ kills, the second-highest total in the conference. Her 20 10+ kill games are the most in the program since Callie Minshew notched 23 in the 2023 season.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led the team in digs for the 19th time this season as she grabbed 17, marking her 19th time with 10+ digs this season, the most in her career.
» Ella Voorhees recorded 14 digs as she now needs 22 more to reach 500. She also led the team in assists for the fourth time this season.
Historical Notes
» The match marked the 48th between the Eagles and Zips. Overall, Eastern holds a 22-26 mark when facing CMU and a 9-13 clip when facing it on the road.
» Hatteras Welker is up to 124 blocks on the season, ranking fifth in EMU single-season annals in the modern statistical era (2008-present). She needs 11 more to tie her 2024 total of 135 that ties for second.
Up Next
Eastern will face Akron once again tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 1, 4 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
