Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
9-14,3-8MAC
Akron
9-14,4-7MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 22 | 29 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Eastern Mich. | 25 | 27 | 22 | 20 | 1 |
10/30/2026 9:30:00 PM | Volleyball
Slusher had career-high 18 kills, Mahler added 16 kills
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team dropped a match to the University of Akron, 3-1 (25-22, 27-29, 22-25, 20-25), at the George Gervin GameAbove Center Friday, Oct. 30.
Eastern Michigan falls to 9-14 overall and 3-8 in MAC play with the loss. Nattie Slusher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) led all players with a career-high 18 kills on 46 swings (.261 hitting percentage), adding two block assists for a total of 19.0 points. Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) was equally sharp, posting 16 kills on 36 attempts at a .333 clip to go with 17.5 points and three block assists.
Lina Govoni (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) recorded a career-high 46 assists and 11 digs for her ninth career double-double, while Olivia Beaudrie (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) posted a double-double of her own with 12 kills and a career-high 13 digs. Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) anchored the back row with 18 digs and surpassed 1,000 career digs at Eastern Michigan during the match, finishing tonight's match with 1,016 in her four seasons with the program.
How It Happened
SET ONE | Eastern Michigan took the opening set, 25-22, to grab a 1-0 match lead. The Eagles built their advantage steadily, never allowing Akron to establish a sustained run, and closed out the set on the strength of a balanced offensive attack. EMU's lead held through the final stretch as the hosts converted to take the set by three.
SET TWO | The second set proved to be the turning point of the match. Eastern Michigan built a lead of as many as four points in the extended set and appeared poised to move ahead 2-0. Akron refused to yield, however, clawing back into contention and forcing extra points. The Zips then went on a 7-3 burst in the extra-points stretch to outlast the Eagles, 29-27, leveling the match at 1-1. The set swung the momentum decisively toward Akron, who had entered the frame facing a potential 2-0 deficit.
SET THREE | Akron carried the momentum from the second set into the third and never relinquished control, taking the frame 25-22 to move ahead 2-1 in the match. The Zips built a lead early and held it through the middle portion of the set, keeping Eastern Michigan from stringing together the kind of extended run needed to shift the score.
SET FOUR | Akron opened the fourth set with a 5-0 run and pushed the advantage to 11-4, putting the Eagles in an early hole. Eastern Michigan battled back, closing the gap to 21-19 and keeping the set alive. The Zips responded with a 4-1 closing burst to seal the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
Match Notes
» Nattie Slusher set a career high with 18 kills, surpassing her previous best of 17 set at Kent State on Oct. 23, 2026.
» Lina Govoni set a career high with 46 assists, surpassing her previous best of 40 set at Kent State on Oct. 23, 2026; the performance was her ninth career double-double.
» Olivia Beaudrie set a career high with 13 digs, surpassing her previous best of 11 set against Murray State on Aug. 29, 2026; she also recorded 12 kills for her second double-double of the season.
» Surabhi Srinivasan surpassed 1,000 career digs at Eastern Michigan during the match, now at 1,016 in her four seasons with the program.
» Taeley Mahler recorded 16 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, one kill shy of her career high of 17 set against Montana on Sept. 11, 2026.
» Azra Eriç posted eight kills on 20 swings at a .350 hitting percentage, the highest hitting percentage among EMU players with double-digit total attacks in the match.
» Mia Schaefer led EMU with two service aces.
» Maddie Herman led EMU with 4.0 total blocks.
» EMU posted a season-high 59 kills and a season-high 56 assists in the match.
» Akron out-blocked Eastern Michigan 11.0 to 6.0 for the match.
Historical Notes
» Eastern Michigan falls to 22-28 all-time against the University of Akron in 50 meetings.
» The Eagles are 11-14 in Ypsilanti against the Zips.
» Tonight's loss extends EMU's losing streak against Akron to six straight matches.
» EMU's last home win over Akron came Oct. 30, 2021 (3-1); the program's last win in the series came Oct. 29, 2022 in Akron (3-2).
» Surabhi Srinivasan is the first Eagle to surpass 1,000 career digs at Eastern Michigan since Franki Sterling in 2019; Srinivasan finished the match with 1,016 career digs across her four seasons with the program.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan returns to the George Gervin GameAbove Center to host the University of Akron in the second match of the two-match MAC series Saturday, Oct. 31, at 4 p.m. The match streams on ESPN+.
Follow Us
Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUVolleyball and @EMUAthletics on X, and follow the Green and White on Instagram @emu_volleyball and @emuathletics.
