Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
8-4,0-0MAC
Oakland
0-11,0-0Horizon
Volleyball Notches Program Top 10 Hitting Percentage, Sweeps Oakland
9/19/2025 5:32:00 PM | Volleyball
The .381 hitting percentage ranks ninth in program history and fourth in the MAC this season
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FISHERS, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team recorded a program top 10 hitting percentage, hitting .381 in a non-conference sweep over Oakland University Friday, Sept. 19, at the Fishers Event Center, in the second game of the Butler Invitational.
Eastern's .381 hitting percentage ranks ninth in program history and fourth in the Mid-American Conference this season, and is the team's second time breaking into the program top 10 in 2025.
Junior outside hitter Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) led the team, recording her sixth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs while hitting a blistering .414. Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) tied a career-best with 10 kills off a .409 clip.
Ashlynn Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) facilitated the offense, leading the team with 36 assists, while Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) and Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) led the defense, posting four blocks and 16 digs, respectively.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Eagles took the first set, 25-17, helped by a strong performance on the attacking side as they registered a .333 attack percentage with 18 kills in the set victory. Eastern ended on a strong note, stretching its lead to its largest point (eight) in the set to finish it out.
SET TWO | After their win in the first set, the Eagles put themselves on the cusp of a sweep with a commanding 25-7 victory in set number two. EMU grabbed control of the set lead early on at 3-2 and held the lead the rest of the way. Eastern Michigan opened its biggest lead of the stanza, 18 points, to close out the set, collecting 19 kills with a .621 hitting percentage while only committing one attack error in the process.
SET THREE | The Eagles finished off the match in a 3-0 sweep after taking the third set, 26-24, in a stanza that featured five lead changes and was tied 13 times. Neither team had a lead of more than four points along the way. Eastern Michigan's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking six Oakland attacks in the stanza.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 8-4 (0-0 MAC) while Oakland's shifted to 0-11 (0-0 Horizon).
» Eastern's .381 hitting percentage ranks ninth in program history and slots fourth in the conference. It is the team's second time entering the program top 10 this season, as its .424 clip against Purdue University-Fort Wayne, Sept. 6, ranks sixth in the program leaderboard and first in the MAC.
» EMU's 50 kills mark its second time eclipsing the 50 mark in a three-set match this season, as the total ranks second in the MAC in three-set contests. The Eagles hold the top spot in the category, landing 51 kills in a sweep over Niagara University, Sept. 6.
» Eastern's best offensive set was the second, landing 19 kills off a .621 hitting percentage with just one error.
» Eastern dominated the stat battle as it had more kills (50-30), assists (46-27), aces (4-3), digs (51-37), and blocks (7-4) than its opponent. It marked the second time this season the team has done so, with the last occurrence coming in a sweep over Niagara, Sept. 6.
» Eastern out-hit its foe (.381 - .130) for the eighth time this season, producing an 8-0 record when doing so. EMU is 22-4 overall under Head Coach Kevin Foeman when out-hitting its opponent.
» EMU tallied more kills than its opponent for the ninth time, resulting in an 8-1 record in 2025, and 18-3 mark under Foeman.
» Eastern's 46 assists are the third-most in a three-set match in the conference this season and ninth in the nation by value.
» Eastern hit over .250 for the fourth time this season. It produces a 4-0 record when doing so.
» Welker set a season best with a .600 hitting percentage while adding nine kills and four blocks.
» Belcher led the team in assists for the 12th time this season as she recorded 34, the third-most in a three-set match in the conference. The match marked the ninth time she has gone over 30 assists in 2025.
» Srinivasan grabbed 16 digs, marking her career-best 10th 10+ dig game of the season.
» Siefke's 14 kills led the team, marking her ninth time doing so this season. The match continued her 10+ kills streak to 12 games, the most consistent stretch of her career and longest since Callie Minshew had 13 straight in the 2021 season, Aug. 25-Sept. 21.
» Siefke posted her sixth double-double of the season, the most on the team and a career best as Eastern is 5-1 this season when she does so. Her 11 digs are her sixth time with at least 10 in a match this season.
Historical Notes
» The match marked the 36th between the Eagles and Golden Grizzlies. Overall, EMU is 27-9 against Oakland, and 2-3 when facing it at a neutral site. The game also marked the second time Eastern and Oakland have met in Indianapolis. EMU is now 1-1 in such contests.
» Eastern's .381 hitting percentage ranks ninth in program history.
» Belcher needs one more dig to reach 500 in her career.
Up Next
The Eagles close out the invitational tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 20, with a 5 p.m. match against the host Bulldogs. Fans can stream the game live on ESPN+
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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
