Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, August 29
Evansville, Ind.
11 a.m. CT (12 p.m. ET)
Eastern Michigan University
3-0,0-0MAC
3
vs
0
Murray State
0-3,0-0MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Murray St. | 23 | 21 | 21 | 0 |
Volleyball Sweeps Murray State to Clinch USI Invitational Championship
8/29/2026 2:56:00 PM | Volleyball
Team's 3-0 record marks the best start since 2018
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team swept Murray State University, 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-21), at the USI Invitational to improve to 3-0 on the 2026 season, the team's best start since the 2018 season when it won the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Freshmen Olivia Beaudrie (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) and Nattie Slusher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) each paced the Green and White with nine kills to share the team lead, while Beaudrie also racked up four service aces, 11 digs and a match-high 13.0 points. Senior Azra Eriç (Istanbul, Turkey/Kadir Has Anadolu lisesi/Robert Morris) matched Beaudrie's four aces and led all players with four block assists, adding four kills and 10.0 points of her own.
Senior Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) anchored the back row with a match-high 12 digs, while freshman setter Lina Govoni (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) distributed the offense with a team-high 17 assists. Junior setter Julia Johnson (Champaign, Ill./High Point) added 12 assists.
How It Happened
SET ONE | EMU opened the match with a hard-fought 25-23 victory in the first set, edging out a determined Murray State squad. The Eagles leaned on their aggressive serving early, with Eriç and Beaudrie each delivering key aces to keep the Racers out of system. Slusher and Beaudrie combined for the bulk of EMU's early offensive production, and the Green and White held on to claim the opening frame and take a 1-0 match lead.
SET TWO | EMU took control with a more decisive 25-21 victory in the second set. The Eagles spread the attack across five contributors — Slusher, Beaudrie, freshman Haley Trosky (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Allegheny), freshman Maddie Herman (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) and junior Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) — while the service line continued to apply relentless pressure. EMU's four-point margin reflected a squad growing more comfortable with each rotation.
SET THREE | Eastern closed out the sweep with an identical 25-21 win in the third set, clinching the program's first 3-0 start since 2018. Beaudrie delivered back-to-back service aces against the Racers' reception to cripple their out-of-system offense, and Eriç followed with her own back-to-back ace sequence to put the match out of reach. EMU's balanced front row and disciplined back-row defense held Murray State to a .107 hitting percentage for the match, sealing the sweep.
Match Notes
» Eastern Michigan improved to 3-0 on the 2026 season with the sweep, its best start since the 2018 season, a campaign that saw it win the MAC Tournament.
» Eastern has won three straight games for the first time since it swept the EMU tournament with wins against Purdue Ft. Wayne (3-0), Sept. 4, 2025, Valparaiso (3-1), Sept. 5, and Niagara (3-0), Sept. 6.
» EMU posted 12 team service aces — double Murray State's total of six — and forced 12 Racer reception errors. Eight different Eagles recorded at least one ace.
» Five EMU players recorded five or more kills, underscoring the balanced offensive attack.
» EMU out-killed Murray State 38-28, out-hit the Racers .185 to .107 and out-blocked them 7.0 to 6.0 (14 block assists to Murray State's 10).
» Olivia Beaudrie led all players with 13.0 points, tying for the team lead with nine kills (.174) while adding four service aces, 11 digs and a near double-double performance in a career match for the freshman.
» Nattie Slusher tied for the team lead with nine kills and hit .250, establishing a new career high in kills for the second consecutive day after posting eight against Southern Indiana the day prior.
» Azra Eriç tied for the team high with four service aces and led all players with four block assists (2.0 total blocks), adding four kills and 10.0 points in a versatile all-around effort. Her four service aces tied a career-high set against Oakland, Oct. 5, 2024.
» Surabhi Srinivasan paced the EMU defense with 12 digs, the only player on either side to reach double digits in the category. She also contributed five assists and one ace. The senior has recorded double-digit digs in all three matches this season, including a career-high 27 in a win over Southern Indiana, Aug. 29.
» Lina Govoni recorded a team-high 17 assists and seven digs in her third collegiate match. She has led the Eagles in assists in two of the three matches this season.
» Julia Johnson added 12 assists, five digs and one ace as the secondary distributor. Combined with Govoni's 17, the two-setter system totaled 29 of EMU's 36 team assists.
» Maddie Herman posted five kills on a .222 hitting percentage with three block assists (1.5 total blocks) and 6.5 points, continuing an efficient debut weekend at the net.
» Taeley Mahler added five kills, three block assists (1.5 total blocks) and 6.5 points in a steady rotational performance.
Historical Notes
» The victory marks Eastern Michigan's first-ever win over Murray State, improving the all-time series record to 1-2. EMU's previous two meetings with the Racers resulted in losses — a 2-3 defeat Sept. 12, 2015, and a 0-3 loss Sept. 20, 2019.
» EMU's 3-0 start is the program's best through three games since the 2018 season, when the Eagles opened with three consecutive sweeps — defeating Fordham, Central Connecticut and Manhattan, all by 3-0 scores, at a season-opening tournament Aug. 24-25. That team went on to win the MAC Tournament Championship and finish the season with a 21-14 record.
» Eastern swept a road tournament for the first time since it won all three games at the William & Mary Colonial Classic in 2018, beating Norfolk State, Sept. 7, before topping Savannah State and W&M, Sept. 8.
Up Next
Eastern heads to the Steel City for a trio of matches at the Chick-fil-A Robinson classic, co-hosted by Duquesne and Robert Morris Friday-Saturday, Sept. 4-5. Outside of the Dukes and Colonials, EMU will face the Elon Phoenix.
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.
Freshmen Olivia Beaudrie (Monroe, Mich./St. Mary Catholic Central) and Nattie Slusher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) each paced the Green and White with nine kills to share the team lead, while Beaudrie also racked up four service aces, 11 digs and a match-high 13.0 points. Senior Azra Eriç (Istanbul, Turkey/Kadir Has Anadolu lisesi/Robert Morris) matched Beaudrie's four aces and led all players with four block assists, adding four kills and 10.0 points of her own.
Senior Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) anchored the back row with a match-high 12 digs, while freshman setter Lina Govoni (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) distributed the offense with a team-high 17 assists. Junior setter Julia Johnson (Champaign, Ill./High Point) added 12 assists.
How It Happened
SET ONE | EMU opened the match with a hard-fought 25-23 victory in the first set, edging out a determined Murray State squad. The Eagles leaned on their aggressive serving early, with Eriç and Beaudrie each delivering key aces to keep the Racers out of system. Slusher and Beaudrie combined for the bulk of EMU's early offensive production, and the Green and White held on to claim the opening frame and take a 1-0 match lead.
SET TWO | EMU took control with a more decisive 25-21 victory in the second set. The Eagles spread the attack across five contributors — Slusher, Beaudrie, freshman Haley Trosky (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Allegheny), freshman Maddie Herman (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) and junior Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) — while the service line continued to apply relentless pressure. EMU's four-point margin reflected a squad growing more comfortable with each rotation.
SET THREE | Eastern closed out the sweep with an identical 25-21 win in the third set, clinching the program's first 3-0 start since 2018. Beaudrie delivered back-to-back service aces against the Racers' reception to cripple their out-of-system offense, and Eriç followed with her own back-to-back ace sequence to put the match out of reach. EMU's balanced front row and disciplined back-row defense held Murray State to a .107 hitting percentage for the match, sealing the sweep.
Match Notes
» Eastern Michigan improved to 3-0 on the 2026 season with the sweep, its best start since the 2018 season, a campaign that saw it win the MAC Tournament.
» Eastern has won three straight games for the first time since it swept the EMU tournament with wins against Purdue Ft. Wayne (3-0), Sept. 4, 2025, Valparaiso (3-1), Sept. 5, and Niagara (3-0), Sept. 6.
» EMU posted 12 team service aces — double Murray State's total of six — and forced 12 Racer reception errors. Eight different Eagles recorded at least one ace.
» Five EMU players recorded five or more kills, underscoring the balanced offensive attack.
» EMU out-killed Murray State 38-28, out-hit the Racers .185 to .107 and out-blocked them 7.0 to 6.0 (14 block assists to Murray State's 10).
» Olivia Beaudrie led all players with 13.0 points, tying for the team lead with nine kills (.174) while adding four service aces, 11 digs and a near double-double performance in a career match for the freshman.
» Nattie Slusher tied for the team lead with nine kills and hit .250, establishing a new career high in kills for the second consecutive day after posting eight against Southern Indiana the day prior.
» Azra Eriç tied for the team high with four service aces and led all players with four block assists (2.0 total blocks), adding four kills and 10.0 points in a versatile all-around effort. Her four service aces tied a career-high set against Oakland, Oct. 5, 2024.
» Surabhi Srinivasan paced the EMU defense with 12 digs, the only player on either side to reach double digits in the category. She also contributed five assists and one ace. The senior has recorded double-digit digs in all three matches this season, including a career-high 27 in a win over Southern Indiana, Aug. 29.
» Lina Govoni recorded a team-high 17 assists and seven digs in her third collegiate match. She has led the Eagles in assists in two of the three matches this season.
» Julia Johnson added 12 assists, five digs and one ace as the secondary distributor. Combined with Govoni's 17, the two-setter system totaled 29 of EMU's 36 team assists.
» Maddie Herman posted five kills on a .222 hitting percentage with three block assists (1.5 total blocks) and 6.5 points, continuing an efficient debut weekend at the net.
» Taeley Mahler added five kills, three block assists (1.5 total blocks) and 6.5 points in a steady rotational performance.
Historical Notes
» The victory marks Eastern Michigan's first-ever win over Murray State, improving the all-time series record to 1-2. EMU's previous two meetings with the Racers resulted in losses — a 2-3 defeat Sept. 12, 2015, and a 0-3 loss Sept. 20, 2019.
» EMU's 3-0 start is the program's best through three games since the 2018 season, when the Eagles opened with three consecutive sweeps — defeating Fordham, Central Connecticut and Manhattan, all by 3-0 scores, at a season-opening tournament Aug. 24-25. That team went on to win the MAC Tournament Championship and finish the season with a 21-14 record.
» Eastern swept a road tournament for the first time since it won all three games at the William & Mary Colonial Classic in 2018, beating Norfolk State, Sept. 7, before topping Savannah State and W&M, Sept. 8.
Up Next
Eastern heads to the Steel City for a trio of matches at the Chick-fil-A Robinson classic, co-hosted by Duquesne and Robert Morris Friday-Saturday, Sept. 4-5. Outside of the Dukes and Colonials, EMU will face the Elon Phoenix.
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.
Players Mentioned
OH/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
EMU
MUR
Kills
38
28
Errors
18
17
Attempts
108
103
Hitting %
.185
.107
Points
57.0
40.0
Assists
36
25
Aces
12
6
Blocks
7
6
Game Leaders
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
4
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Wednesday, August 26
Wednesday, August 26
Tuesday, August 25
Sunday, August 23