Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, October 23
Kent, Ohio
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
9-13,3-7MAC
2
at
3
Kent State
10-11,4-6MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 25 | 11 | 25 | 17 | 8 | 2 |
| Kent St. | 20 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
10/23/2026 9:03:00 PM | Volleyball
Slusher sets career high with 17 kills; Srinivasan reaches 998 career digs
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team dropped a five-set match to Kent State University at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center Friday, Oct. 23, falling 3-2 (25-20, 11-25, 25-21, 17-25, 8-15) in a hard-fought Mid-American Conference contest that went the full distance.
Nattie Slusher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) powered the Eastern Michigan offense with a career-high 17 kills on a .263 hitting percentage, while Lina Govoni (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) orchestrated the attack with career-highs of 40 assists and 18 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Slusher's performance and Govoni's double-double headlined a resilient effort from a Green and White squad that refused to go quietly in Kent.
Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) anchored the back row with a match-high 23 digs and two service aces, bringing her career total to 998, just two away from the 1,000-dig milestone mark, while Madelyn Sipe (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead Senior) added a career-high 18 digs across all five sets. The Eagles finished with 89 digs as a team — the second-highest single-match total of the 2026 season.
How It Happened
SET ONE | Eastern Michigan seized the opening set 25-20, establishing early momentum behind a Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) kill and a Kayla Ostrander (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) service ace. A pivotal 5-0 run mid-set — fueled by a Mahler kill and four consecutive Kent State attack errors — pushed the margin to 18-11 and put the Eagles firmly in control. Srinivasan added back-to-back service aces to extend the lead, and the set closed on a Kent State service error.
SET TWO | Kent State responded decisively in the second set, taking it 25-11 to level the match at 1-1. The Golden Flashes used a 5-0 run early in the set — built on a Kent State kill and multiple service aces — to seize control. Kent State dominated from the service line throughout the frame.
SET THREE | Eastern reclaimed the match lead with a 25-21 victory in the third set. EMU built its advantage and then used a late 4-1 run — featuring two kills by Maddie Herman (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) and a Julia Johnson (Champaign, Ill./St. Thomas More/High Point) service ace — to pull away. Three late Kent State attack errors helped seal the set, and Olivia Beaudrie (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) delivered the set-winning kill to put the Eagles up 2-1.
SET FOUR | Kent State evened the match at 2-2 with a 25-17 victory in the fourth set. The Golden Flashes established control with a 3-0 run built on a Kent State kill and two EMU attack errors, and back-to-back service aces late closed it out and forced a deciding fifth frame.
SET FIVE | Kent State controlled the decisive fifth set from the outset, opening with a 5-1 run on Golden Flash kills. The Golden Flashes extended their lead with a 3-0 run — two blocks and a service ace — to go up 12-7, and closed out the match 15-8 to complete the comeback. EMU falls to 2-3 in five-set matches in 2026.
Match Notes
» Nattie Slusher set a career high with 17 kills on a .263 hitting percentage (seven errors, 38 attempts), surpassing her previous best of 15 kills set against Miami (OH) on Oct. 15.
» Lina Govoni recorded career highs in both assists (40) and digs (18) en route to her seventh double-double of the 2026 season, surpassing her previous bests of 39 assists and 17 digs.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led all players with 23 digs and added two service aces, pushing her career dig total to 998 — two shy of 1,000.
» Madelyn Sipe posted a career-high 18 digs across all five sets, tying for second-most on the team alongside Govoni.
» Maddie Herman recorded eight kills on a .227 hitting percentage, tying her career high in kills.
» Eastern Michigan finished with 89 digs as a team — the second-highest single-match total of the 2026 season and a new five-set match high, topping the 84 digs recorded in the Oct. 9 loss at Buffalo.
» Kent State recorded six service aces in the match and 13.0 total blocks — a decisive advantage at the net over EMU's 3.0.
Historical Notes
» Eastern Michigan's all-time series record against Kent State University moves to 44-24-1 following tonight's defeat, with the Eagles holding a commanding advantage across 70 all-time meetings.
» EMU's seven-match winning streak against the Golden Flashes ends with tonight's loss; the Eagles had won seven consecutive meetings in the series entering Friday.
» Head coach Kevin Foeman's perfect record against Kent State ends at 7-1 after tonight's defeat; he had entered the two-match series 6-0 against the Golden Flashes.
» Surabhi Srinivasan's 23 digs tonight push her career total at Eastern Michigan to 998 — she needs just two more to become the first Eagle to reach 1,000 career digs at EMU since Franki Sterling in 2019.
» Eastern Michigan falls to 2-3 in five-set matches in 2026 and is now 127-153 all-time in five-set matches since 1976.
» EMU's road record in Kent, Ohio stands at 19-13 after tonight's loss, following the Eagles' 19-12 mark entering Friday's match.
» Head coach Kevin Foeman stands at 193-160 in his career as a collegiate head coach; he needs seven more victories to reach 200 career wins.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan returns home to host the University of Akron in a two-match MAC series in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Eagles host Akron Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 4 p.m. Both matches can be streamed on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Stay connected with EMU Volleyball and EMU Athletics by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on social media for the latest news, scores and updates throughout the season.
Nattie Slusher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) powered the Eastern Michigan offense with a career-high 17 kills on a .263 hitting percentage, while Lina Govoni (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) orchestrated the attack with career-highs of 40 assists and 18 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Slusher's performance and Govoni's double-double headlined a resilient effort from a Green and White squad that refused to go quietly in Kent.
Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) anchored the back row with a match-high 23 digs and two service aces, bringing her career total to 998, just two away from the 1,000-dig milestone mark, while Madelyn Sipe (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead Senior) added a career-high 18 digs across all five sets. The Eagles finished with 89 digs as a team — the second-highest single-match total of the 2026 season.
How It Happened
SET ONE | Eastern Michigan seized the opening set 25-20, establishing early momentum behind a Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) kill and a Kayla Ostrander (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) service ace. A pivotal 5-0 run mid-set — fueled by a Mahler kill and four consecutive Kent State attack errors — pushed the margin to 18-11 and put the Eagles firmly in control. Srinivasan added back-to-back service aces to extend the lead, and the set closed on a Kent State service error.
SET TWO | Kent State responded decisively in the second set, taking it 25-11 to level the match at 1-1. The Golden Flashes used a 5-0 run early in the set — built on a Kent State kill and multiple service aces — to seize control. Kent State dominated from the service line throughout the frame.
SET THREE | Eastern reclaimed the match lead with a 25-21 victory in the third set. EMU built its advantage and then used a late 4-1 run — featuring two kills by Maddie Herman (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) and a Julia Johnson (Champaign, Ill./St. Thomas More/High Point) service ace — to pull away. Three late Kent State attack errors helped seal the set, and Olivia Beaudrie (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) delivered the set-winning kill to put the Eagles up 2-1.
SET FOUR | Kent State evened the match at 2-2 with a 25-17 victory in the fourth set. The Golden Flashes established control with a 3-0 run built on a Kent State kill and two EMU attack errors, and back-to-back service aces late closed it out and forced a deciding fifth frame.
SET FIVE | Kent State controlled the decisive fifth set from the outset, opening with a 5-1 run on Golden Flash kills. The Golden Flashes extended their lead with a 3-0 run — two blocks and a service ace — to go up 12-7, and closed out the match 15-8 to complete the comeback. EMU falls to 2-3 in five-set matches in 2026.
Match Notes
» Nattie Slusher set a career high with 17 kills on a .263 hitting percentage (seven errors, 38 attempts), surpassing her previous best of 15 kills set against Miami (OH) on Oct. 15.
» Lina Govoni recorded career highs in both assists (40) and digs (18) en route to her seventh double-double of the 2026 season, surpassing her previous bests of 39 assists and 17 digs.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led all players with 23 digs and added two service aces, pushing her career dig total to 998 — two shy of 1,000.
» Madelyn Sipe posted a career-high 18 digs across all five sets, tying for second-most on the team alongside Govoni.
» Maddie Herman recorded eight kills on a .227 hitting percentage, tying her career high in kills.
» Eastern Michigan finished with 89 digs as a team — the second-highest single-match total of the 2026 season and a new five-set match high, topping the 84 digs recorded in the Oct. 9 loss at Buffalo.
» Kent State recorded six service aces in the match and 13.0 total blocks — a decisive advantage at the net over EMU's 3.0.
Historical Notes
» Eastern Michigan's all-time series record against Kent State University moves to 44-24-1 following tonight's defeat, with the Eagles holding a commanding advantage across 70 all-time meetings.
» EMU's seven-match winning streak against the Golden Flashes ends with tonight's loss; the Eagles had won seven consecutive meetings in the series entering Friday.
» Head coach Kevin Foeman's perfect record against Kent State ends at 7-1 after tonight's defeat; he had entered the two-match series 6-0 against the Golden Flashes.
» Surabhi Srinivasan's 23 digs tonight push her career total at Eastern Michigan to 998 — she needs just two more to become the first Eagle to reach 1,000 career digs at EMU since Franki Sterling in 2019.
» Eastern Michigan falls to 2-3 in five-set matches in 2026 and is now 127-153 all-time in five-set matches since 1976.
» EMU's road record in Kent, Ohio stands at 19-13 after tonight's loss, following the Eagles' 19-12 mark entering Friday's match.
» Head coach Kevin Foeman stands at 193-160 in his career as a collegiate head coach; he needs seven more victories to reach 200 career wins.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan returns home to host the University of Akron in a two-match MAC series in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Eagles host Akron Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 4 p.m. Both matches can be streamed on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Stay connected with EMU Volleyball and EMU Athletics by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on social media for the latest news, scores and updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
OH/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
EMU
KentSt
Kills
48
56
Errors
32
21
Attempts
175
180
Hitting %
.091
.194
Points
57.0
77.0
Assists
47
53
Aces
6
8
Blocks
3
13
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
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