Volleyball Drops Thrilling Five-Set Home Opener

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Illinois St.	14	25	25	19	16	3
Eastern Mich.	25	21	23	25	14	2

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team fell in a five-set thriller to Illinois State University, 3-2 (25-14, 21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14), at the George Gervin GameAbove Center Sunday, Sept. 6, dropping to 5-2 on the season in a match that featured 11 tie scores and 10 lead changes in the decisive fifth set alone.

Despite the loss, Eastern Michigan outhit Illinois State for the entire match, posting a .210 team hitting percentage to the Redbirds' .149, and scored more total points, 78.0 to 74.0. The Eagles also dominated the net defensively with 12.0 total blocks compared to Illinois State's 5.0, more than doubling their opponent's output at the net. Freshman setter Lina Govoni (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) orchestrated the offense, putting up career highs of 39 assists, 14 digs, five kills, and five blocks. Senior middle blocker Azra Eriç (Istanbul, Turkey/Kadir Has Anadolu lisesi/Robert Morris) delivered a career-high five service aces and 10 kills on a blistering .474 hitting percentage while contributing four blocks defensively.

Three Eagles tied for the team lead with 12 kills each: junior Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), freshman Nattie Slusher (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) and freshman Haley Trosky (Pittsburgh, Pa./West Allegheny). Senior libero Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) anchored the back row with a match-high 25 digs, while freshman middle blocker Maddie Herman (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) set a career high with seven total blocks to lead all players in the match.

How it Happened
SET ONE | Eastern Michigan came out of the gate with its most dominant frame of the match, hitting .345 on 13 kills and just three errors across 29 attempts while holding Illinois State to a -.026 hitting percentage — eight kills against nine errors on 38 swings. The Eagles controlled the set wire to wire, closing it out 25-14 to take an early 1-0 match lead.

SET TWO | Illinois State responded with renewed energy, hitting .343 in the second set on 15 kills and three errors across 35 attempts. EMU's offense remained efficient at .250 but could not match the Redbirds' surge, dropping the set 21-25 to even the match at 1-1.

SET THREE | The third set was a tightly contested battle, with both teams trading momentum throughout. Illinois State edged Eastern Michigan 25-23 in a frame where the Redbirds hit .125 to EMU's .109, giving the visitors a 2-1 match lead and putting the Eagles on the brink of elimination.

SET FOUR | Facing elimination, Eastern Michigan answered with its second-best hitting performance of the match, posting a .262 clip on 13 kills and just two errors across 42 attempts. The Eagles pulled away decisively, winning 25-19 to even the match at 2-2 and force a deciding fifth set.

SET FIVE | The final set was an instant classic. Illinois State and Eastern Michigan traded leads in a wire-to-wire battle that featured 11 tie scores and 10 lead changes — more than all four preceding sets combined. Both teams took 27 swings each, with the Redbirds finishing at .222 to EMU's .111. Illinois State ultimately outlasted the Eagles 16-14, claiming the match 3-2 and handing Eastern Michigan a gut-wrenching defeat despite the Green and White's strong play throughout.

Game Notes
» Eastern's record went to 5-2 on the season while Illinois State improved to 6-1.
» Despite the loss, Eastern is off to a 5-2 start for the second consecutive season.
» Eastern recorded season highs in kills (57), attacks (176), assists (54), and digs (83). The Eagles' 83 digs are the second-most in the MAC this season.
» Eastern lost when outhitting its opponent for the first time this season and the fifth time in the Foeman era (2023-present). Eastern is 31-5 when outhitting its foe under Foeman as it has accomplished the feat in six of seven games this season.
» Eastern out-blocked its opponent for the sixth time this season as it has yet to be out-blocked in 2026. Eastern is 5-1 when out-blocking its opponent this year and 29-19 in the Foeman era.
» Eastern is now 1-1 in five-set matches this season and 11-12 under Kevin Foeman.
» Lina Govoni set career highs in assists (39), digs (14), kills (five) and block assists (five), finishing with 7.5 points on .417 hitting in a standout double-double performance, her second of the season and second in the last three games. She is the only player in the country to record a game with 39+ assists, 14+ digs, five or more blocks, and five or more kills this season.
» Azra Eriç set a new career high with five service aces — surpassing her previous career best of four — and also recorded her first double-digit kill game of the season, landing 10 kills off an efficient .474 (10 kills, one error on 19 attempts) clip with four blocks for a team-high 17.0 total points. Eriç's five aces tie for the most in one game in the MAC. She is the only player in the country this season to have a match with 10+ kills, five or more aces, four or more blocks, while hitting .474 or better.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led all players with 25 digs and set a career high with nine assists, narrowly missing her first career double-double. The game marked her second 20+ dig showing of the season and sixth of her career.
» Taeley Mahler tied the team lead with 12 kills, adding one solo block and four block assists for 5.0 total blocks and 15.0 points, while setting a career high with seven digs. All stats listed serve as season highs for the junior as she notched her first double-digit kill game of the year and sixth of her collegiate tenure.
» Maddie Herman set a career high with seven total blocks (one solo, six assists), leading all players in the match, while adding five kills on .286 hitting for 9.0 points. She has at least four blocks in four of her first seven games.
» Nattie Slusher tied her career high with 12 kills, sharing the team-high mark with Mahler and Trosky. The freshman recorded her third game with double-digit kills and has done so in three of her last four matches.
» Haley Trosky tied the team lead with 12 kills and led all players in the match with 47 total attack attempts. Trosky now has three consecutive games with 10+ kills as her 47 attacks are the most of her young career.
» Madelyn Sipe (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Homestead) recorded a pair of career highs with 12 digs and three assists. She has posted a career high in digs in consecutive games after notching 10 in the sweep against Elon, Sept. 5.

Historical Notes
» Illinois State leads the all-time series 2-0 against Eastern Michigan. EMU's home record against the Redbirds is now 0-1 following Sunday's defeat.
» Eastern played its 51st home opener. It holds a 34-16-1 record in home openers.

Up Next
Eastern Michigan returns to action Thursday, Sept. 11, at 12 p.m., when the Eagles face Montana in the first of three matches at the Oakland University Golden Grizzly Invitational.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Lina Govoni

Maddie Herman

Taeley Mahler

Madelyn Sipe

Nattie Slusher

Surabhi Srinivasan

Haley Trosky

Team Stats

Mahler Taeley

Slusher Nattie

Trosky Haley

Eriç Azra