Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
9-12,3-6MAC
Kent State
9-11,3-6MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 14 | 15 | 25 | 25 | 16 | 3 |
| Kent St. | 25 | 25 | 18 | 23 | 14 | 2 |
10/22/2026 10:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Freshman had career-high 14 kills in three sets of action
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University volleyball delivered one of its most dramatic victories of the season Thursday, Oct. 22, rallying from a two-set deficit to defeat Kent State University 3-2 (14-25, 15-25, 25-18, 25-23, 16-14) in a five-set thriller in Kent, Ohio.
Olivia Beaudrie (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) was the offensive catalyst, posting an Eastern Michigan University career-high 14 kills on 34 attempts (.235) to go with two service aces and 16.5 points — surpassing her previous best of nine kills set earlier this season. Nattie Slusher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) added 11 kills, eight digs and an ace for 12.5 points, while Maddie Herman (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) contributed seven kills on 17 attempts at a match-best .353 hitting percentage among Eagles with double-digit attempts.
Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) anchored the back row with 27 digs — the match high for any player — while freshman setter Lina Govoni (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) orchestrated the offense with 29 assists and 11 digs, recording her fifth double-double of the 2026 season.
How It Happened
SET ONE | Kent State seized control early and never relinquished it, taking the opening set 25-14. EMU trailed by just one at 5-4 following a Golden Flashes service error — the closest the Eagles would come the rest of the way. Kent State pushed the lead to six by the media timeout at 15-9, and though Eastern Michigan briefly trimmed the deficit to four at 13-9, the Golden Flashes responded by pulling away decisively, building an 11-point advantage at 23-12 before closing out the set 25-14.
SET TWO | Kent State carried its momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead before EMU answered to tie it at 4-4. The Golden Flashes then went on an 11-4 run to lead 15-8 at the media timeout, and Eastern Michigan could only close to within four at 16-12 before Kent State pulled away to win 25-15, taking a commanding 2-0 match lead.
SET THREE | Eastern Michigan came out with a different energy in the third set, building a 2-0 lead from the opening exchange and never looking back. The Eagles led 15-5 at the media timeout — a 10-point cushion — and extended the advantage to 20-7. Kent State mounted a late 10-1 rally to cut the deficit to 21-17, but EMU closed out the set 25-18 to stay alive in the match and shift the momentum decisively in its favor.
SET FOUR | The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle featuring nine lead changes. EMU jumped out 4-1 before Kent State responded to take a 6-5 edge, and the two teams traded blows through the media timeout — where Kent State held a slim 15-14 advantage. Ties at 17, 18, 19 and 22-all kept the set in the balance, and Kent State pushed ahead 23-22 late. Eastern Michigan answered with three unanswered points to close out the set 25-23 and force a deciding fifth.
SET FIVE | The deciding set lived up to its billing, featuring eight lead changes and nine ties. Kent State led 4-2 early before EMU seized a 8-7 edge at the side switch. The Golden Flashes regained the lead at 11-9, but Eastern Michigan battled back to go ahead 13-11. Kent State tied it at 14-14, setting up a dramatic finish — and the Eagles scored the final two points to complete the reverse sweep, 16-14, and secure one of the signature wins of the season.
Match Notes
» Olivia Beaudrie posted an Eastern Michigan University career-high 14 kills on 34 attempts (.235) with two service aces and 16.5 points to lead Eastern Michigan offensively.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led all players in the match with 27 digs, adding three assists in a commanding back-row performance.
» Lina Govoni recorded her fifth double-double of the 2026 season with 29 assists and 11 digs.
» Nattie Slusher finished second on the team with 11 kills, adding eight digs, one ace and 12.5 total points.
» Maddie Herman posted seven kills on 17 attempts at a .353 hitting percentage — the highest efficiency among EMU players with double-digit attack attempts — along with one ace and 1.0 total block.
» Azra Eriç hit .500 (three kills on six attempts) and contributed 4.0 total blocks in an efficient outing off the bench.
» Eastern Michigan finished with 50 kills, 48 assists, eight aces and 82 digs as a team, hitting .129 across the five-set match.
» The Eagles recorded six total blocks as a team and served eight service aces — the sixth time this season EMU has reached that threshold.
» EMU out-dug Kent State 82 to 81 in a match decided by two points in the fifth set.
Historical Notes
» Eastern Michigan's all-time series record against Kent State University improved to 44-23-1 across 69 meetings dating to 1976.
» The Eagles have now won seven consecutive matches against the Golden Flashes under head coach Kevin Foeman, who improves to 7-0 against Kent State since taking over in 2023.
» EMU's all-time record in away matches at Kent State improved to 19-12 with Thursday's victory.
» The last time Eastern Michigan won a match after losing the first two sets was Oct. 24, 2025, when the Eagles rallied from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Buffalo 3-2 (set scores: 24-26, 18-25, 25-13, 25-20, 15-12) in MAC play — making Thursday's comeback the first such reverse sweep of the 2026 season.
» The 2024 series with Kent State also featured a reverse sweep: EMU came back from dropping the first two sets to win 3-2 at Kent on Sept. 26, 2024.
» Thursday's win is the first time since Oct. 26, 2024 — a 3-2 victory over Ohio — that Eastern Michigan won a match while hitting a lower percentage than its opponent; EMU hit .182 to Ohio's .234 in that contest.
» Thursday's win is also the first time since that same Oct. 26, 2024 match against Ohio that EMU won while being outhit by .049 or more; the Golden Flashes outhit the Eagles by .049 (.178 to .129) in Thursday's five-set thriller, matching the differential from the Ohio match (.052).
» Eastern Michigan improved to 127-152 all-time in five-set matches with Thursday's win.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan returns to action Friday, Oct. 23, for the second match of the series against Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Start time and broadcast information are to be announced.
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