Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
7-3,0-0MAC
Oakland
0-9,0-0Horizon
Siefke's Double-Double Powers Volleyball to Win Over Oakland
9/13/2025 5:15:00 PM | Volleyball
Eastern is 7-3 for the first time since 2018
ROCHESTER, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Ava Siefke recorded her second consecutive match with a double-double, landing 14 kills with 13 digs as she led the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Oakland University in the Eagles' final game of the Golden Grizzlies Invitational Saturday, Sept. 13, inside the OU Credit Union O'Rena.
Eastern's win marked its seventh of the season as it's off to it's first 7-3 start since 2018, the last time Eastern won the MAC Tournament.
Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) was a force defensively with eight blocks in the match while Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) led the match with 16 digs.
Both Ashlynn Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) and Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.) dished 20 assists. AshleeKay Christensen (Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle) secured her third straight double-digit kills outing as she recorded 12 and tied a career best with five digs.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Eagles couldn't persevere past a furious Oakland rally in the first set, losing, 25-22, after leading by eight points at 12-4 earlier in the set.
SET TWO | Eastern Michigan evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-15 set-two win. The Eagles grabbed control of the set lead early on at 5-4 and never looked back. Eastern led by as many as 10 points at 24-14 before closing out the set, totaling 15 kills.
SET THREE | Eastern Michigan built on that second-set success with a 25-20 victory in set number three, opening up a 2-1 match lead. Eastern Michigan took the lead for good at 9-8 in a set that showcased three lead changes before the Eagles took over. The Eastern Michigan offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. EMU's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Oakland attacks in the stanza.
SET FOUR | Eastern Michigan closed out the match with a 25-23 fourth-set victory, winning their third set in a row. The Eagles trailed by as many as six points but took the lead for good at 24-23 in a set that featured nine ties and five lead changes. Eastern got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Oakland attacks in the stanza and capitalized on 11 Oakland attacking errors on the way to victory.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 7-3 (0-0 MAC) while Oakland's dropped to 0-9 (0-0 Horizon).
» Eastern had more kills (55-42), assists (46-36), digs (62-55), and blocks (11-4) than the Golden Grizzlies while out-hitting them, .223-.117.
» Eastern out-hit its foe (.223 - .117) for the seventh time this season, producing a 7-0 record when doing so. EMU is 21-4 overall under Head Coach Kevin Foeman when out-hitting its opponent.
» EMU tallied more kills than its opponent for the eighth time, resulting in a 7-1 record in 2025, and 17-3 mark under Foeman.
» After the win, EMU is 4-1 this season when splitting the first two sets and 13-5 under Foeman.
» Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) posted her second consecutive double-double and fifth of the season with 14 kills and 13 digs in the win. The occasion marks her second time this season with consecutive double-doubles. Eastern is 4-1 this season when she records a double-double. The performance continued her 10-game double-digit kill streak, the longest in her career. Her 13 digs are her fifth time with at least 10 in a match this season.
» Christensen totaled 12 kills for her sixth double-digit outing of the season and third consecutive. She also tied a career best with five digs.
» Siefke's .406 hitting percentage marks the third time of her career going over .400. Eastern is 3-0 when she hits over .400. She also landed a season-high three aces.
» Voorhees recorded season-bests with 20 assists and nine digs. The performance was her 19th with at least 20 dimes. It also marked her first time leading the team in the category this season.
» Belcher joined Voorhees, also posting 20 assists, leading the team for the 10th time this year. The game was just her second of the season with 20 assists or less as she has gone over 30 in 8/10 matches.
» Srinivasan grabbed her eighth 10+ digs performance of the season as she went down for a match-high 16. Srinivasan's eight games with at least 10 digs mark a season-long career-high.
» Welker led the match with eight blocks, marking her third time with at least eight blocks this season. EMU is 3-0 when she posts 8-0 more blocks as her total ties for the third-most in a four-set match in the conference. She also added seven kills off a .385 clip. It is her second consecutive match hitting over .300 with at least six kills.
Historical Notes
» Eastern is off to a 7-3 start for the first time since 2018, the last time it won the MAC Tournament.
» The match marked the 35th between the Eagles and Golden Grizzlies, overall, EMU is 26-9 against Oakland, and 10-4 when facing it in Rochester.
» Siefke's career-long 10th straight match with double-digit kills is the program's longest streak since Callie Minshew rattled off 13 straight double-digit kill performances in the 2023 season, Aug. 25-Sept. 21.
» Christensen's third straight match with 10+ kills marks the first time an EMU freshman has done so since Annie Lockett in the 2021 campaign, Aug. 28-Sept. 4.
Up Next
Eastern will face IU Indy in the first match of the Butler Invitational, hosted by Butler University Thursday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.
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
