Volleyball Preps to Host Bowling Green, Toledo

Bowling Green/Toledo vs. Volleyball
Dates/Times/Opponents	Friday, Oct. 3, vs. Bowling Green, 6 p.m. \| Saturday, Oct. 4, vs. Toledo, 4 p.m.
Venue	George Gervin GameAbove Center \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide
Watch Live	vs. BGSU \| vs. Toledo
Live Stats	vs. BGSU \| vs. Toledo
Twitter	@EMUVolleyball \| @EMUAthletics
Instagram	@emu_volleyball \| @emuathletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Entering the second weekend of Mid-American Conference play, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is set to open the home portion of MAC competition as it will host the reigning MAC Regular Season Champion, Bowling Green State University Friday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m., followed by a match against the University of Toledo Saturday, Oct. 4, 4 p.m.

Fans can follow along with the action using the live stats and watch links that can be found on the EMU volleyball schedule page at emueagles.com/volleyball/schedule. Fans can also follow the team's social media accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook @EMUVolleyball for live in-match updates. A post-match recap will also be posted to EMUEagles.com following the game.

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS
Bowling Green: The Eagles and Falcons will meet for the 68th time in the all-time series Friday. The two institutions first met on the volleyball court in the 1977 season, a match that resulted in a win for the Falcons. Overall, Eastern holds a 27-40 record against BGSU, and a 14-21 mark when facing it at home. Last season, Eastern captured a five-set win against the Falcons on the road, Oct. 10. Eastern last won at home against Bowling Green in the 2022 season, as it bested the Falcons in a five-set match. Head Coach Kevin Foeman is looking for his first home win over the Falcons.

Toledo: Eastern and Toledo will face off for the 85th time on Saturday. Eastern has a firm lead in the all-time series with a 61-24 record against the Rockets, a 37-7 mark when facing them at home, and a 52-24 mark when facing them in MAC play. Eastern last earned a win over the Rockets in Toledo in the 2019 season, as it bested UT in straight sets, Nov. 16. The last time EMU won a match over Toledo came in the COVID-adjusted 2020 season, when it swept the Rockets inside the then Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, March 5. Toledo's seven consecutive victories mark the second-longest stretch in the series as EMU previously won 11 straight, 1984-90. Additionally, Head Coach Kevin Foeman is looking for his first win over the Rockets.

LAST TIME AGAINST BGSU/TOLEDO
Eastern captured a five-set win at the eventual MAC Regular Season Champion Bowling Green last season, Oct. 10, topping the first-place Falcons, 3-2 in a game where the Eagles totaled less kills, assists, aces, digs, and blocks than BGSU, marking its first win when doing so since it accomplished the feat over Akron in the COVID-adjusted 2020 season, Feb. 19, 2021. The win also marked the Eagles' first 5-1 start in conference play and three-game win streak since 2018.

The Eagles were swept by the Rockets last season, Oct. 11, a match that saw Hatteras Welker record the second most blocks in program history in a three-set match with eight.

HOT START AT HOME?
With a win over BGSU, Oct. 3, Eastern would be 4-0 at home for the first time since the 2018 season, which is also the last time EMU started 5-0 at home. A 5-0 home start would be the program's best since it started 8-1 at home in 2002. Eastern's best home record came in the 1990 season when it went a perfect 12-0 at home.

RECORD IN FIRST HOME MAC GAME OF THE YEAR
In its 44th season of MAC competition, EMU holds a 21-22 record in its first MAC home game of the season. Eastern started 2-0 in home conference game's last season with two wins over Miami, Oct. 4-5, and is looking to start 2-0 in home MAC games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2009-10.

SIEFKE'S DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Ava Siefke posted her career-best seventh double-double of the season with a 19-kill, 16-dig game at Western Michigan, Sept. 25.

Siefke's seven double-doubles tie for the second most in the MAC and the most in the program since Callie Minshew recorded 10 in the 2023 season.

Eastern is 5-2 this season when she records a double-double as she has recorded consecutive double-doubles twice this season (vs. Marshall/Kansas City, Aug. 29-30), (vs. Southern Illinois/at Oakland, Sept. 12-13).

HISTORIC HITTING PERCENTAGES
Eastern hit .424 (41-5-85) in the sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne, Sept. 4. The clip ranks second in the MAC and sixth in program history. The Eagles followed that up with a .381 hitting percentage in the three-set win over Oakland, Sept. 19, a mark that stands ninth in program history and sixth in the MAC.

The 2025 season is the second in program history where the Eagles have recorded multiple program top-10 hitting percentages. It previously recorded four program top-10 marks in the 1999 campaign, including the second-best mark in program annals, a .594 clip against Chicago State, Sept. 3.

SIEFKE 10+ KILLS STREAK
Ava Siefke recorded 10+ kills in the first 14 matches this season, the longest stretch in her career and longest from the program since all-time kills leader Rachel Iaquaniello ended her collegiate career with 19-straight matches of 10+ kills, Sept. 14-Nov. 16, 2012, in a year where she set the program record in single-season kills (554).

Furthermore, Siefke's 14 double-digit kill outings tie Ball State's Carson Tyler for the most in the MAC this season.

1/1
Senior setter Ashlynn Belcher is the only player in the nation with 500+ assists, 10+ aces, and three or fewer service errors.

BREAKOUT SEASON: AVA SIEFKE
Junior outside hitter Ava Siefke has seen a significant increase in production this season as she is currently averaging career highs in kills per set (3.70), hitting percentage (.198), aces per set (0.38), digs per set (2.64), blocks per set (0.55), and points per set (4.38).

Siefke in 2024
Kills/Set                           Pts/Set                              Hitt%
1.73                                    2.24                      .090

Siefke in 2025
Kills/Set                           Pts/Set                              Hitt%
3.70                      4.38                  .198

Siefke currently ranks fifth in the MAC in kills per set and fourth in points per set while leading the Eagles in both categories.

AK FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS
Freshman outside hitter AshleeKay Christensen had a career outing against Southern Illinois University, Sept. 12. The freshman recorded career bests with 20 kills off a .326 hitting percentage while adding five digs. Her 20+ kills while hitting over .300 are the first time an EMU player has done so since current overseas professional Raeven Chase landed 20 kills off a .536 clip in a match against Ohio University, Oct. 7, 2022.

Christensen is just the third EMU freshman in the modern statistical era (1999-present) to accomplish the feat and the second outside hitter. Melissa Bartlett drilled 20 kills while hitting .500 as a freshman against Oakland University, Sept. 11.

AK FRESHMAN SINGLE-GAME KILLS
AshleeKay Christensen's 20 kills against SIU, Sept. 12, are the second-most from a freshman in the MAC this season and most from an EMU freshman since Rachel Irbe landed 21 against the University at Buffalo, Oct. 22, 2016. Ohio's Bailey Blair had a 23-kill outing that ranks first in the MAC among freshmen against Furman, Sept. 20.

BELCHER: MAC SETTER OF THE WEEK
Ashlynn Belcher was named Mid-American Conference Setter of the Week, Sept. 8.

Belcher dished a total of 137 assists (10.54/set) and heavily contributed to the team's .254 hitting percentage throughout the week. The setter contributed defensively with 42 digs (3.23/set), and eight blocks (0.62/set). Belcher posted two assists/digs double-doubles, dishing 46 assists and recording 16 digs in the win over Valparaiso, Sept. 5, before notching 41 assists and 15 digs in a sweep against Niagara University, Sept. 6.

Belcher was particularly sharp against Purdue Fort Wayne, Sept. 4, as she set EMU to hit .424 as a team in the sweep over the Mastodons, a clip that ranks second in the MAC and sixth in program history.

WELKER: MAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hatteras Welker was named MAC Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 8. Welker was on a tear defensively as she recorded 26 total blocks, averaging two per set in the Eagles' perfect 3-0 weekend at the EMU Tournament, Sept. 4-6, and 3-1 week overall. On top of her blocks, Welker contributed with 28 kills (2.15 per set) and four aces (0.31/set), equaling 47.5 points (3.65 per set).

She particularly shined in the 3-1 win over Valparaiso University, Sept. 5, as she led the match with 11 blocks, the second-most in the MAC by an individual this season, most in a four-set contest, second-most in EMU history in a four-set game, and fifth most in the nation in four sets by volume.

MULTIPLE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Ashlynn Belcher and Hatteras Welker's respective MAC Player of the Week nods, Sept. 8, mark the programs first time earning multiple conference player of the week accolades in the same week since at least 2009.

WELKER 11 BLOCKS PROGRAM STANDING
Hatteras Welker's 11 blocks against Valparaiso rank second in EMU program history in four-set matches while standing second in the MAC, first in a four-set match, and fifth in the nation in four stanzas. Additionally, she is the only player in the MAC to record 10+ blocks in multiple matches this season as she also did so with 11 at Butler, Sept. 20.

CONSISTENT TRENDS
Eastern is 8-0 this season when hitting better than its opponent and 22-4 under Foeman when doing so. EMU has out-killed its foe in 9-of-15 games this season, producing an 8-1 record in 2025 and 18-3 overall mark in three seasons under Foeman.

HITTING BETTER THAN FOES
EMU has out-hit its opponent in 8-of-15 matches this season and recently did so in 7-of-10 (Aug. 29-Sept. 13) games for the first time since the 2018 season, Oct. 25-Nov. 18. That season, the Eagles out-hit their opponent in 27-of-35 games en route to a MAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

Overall, the Eagles are 8-0 this season when out-hitting their opponent and 22-4 in the Foeman era.

RECENT CAREER-HIGHS
Wrigley Takats had a career-best six blocks against Western Michigan, Sept. 25, doubling up her previous career high of three against the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Aug. 30, while Ashlynn Belcher also rejected a career-best five in the match against the Broncos. Taeley Mahler grabbed a career-high five digs versus Northern Illinois, Sept. 26.

MOST ACES UNDER FOEMAN
Eastern landed 12 aces in the win over UMKC, Aug. 30, marking the most in the Foeman era (2023-present) and the most in a single game since it recorded 15 against Buffalo, Oct. 27, 2006. The total stands fourth in the program's all-time single-game leaderboards.

HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS - TEAM
Eastern ranks in the top four in the MAC in seven categories.

Stat                                      Figure MAC
Points/set 16.93 2nd
Digs/Set 15.38 2nd
Attacks/Set 36.55 2nd
Kills/set 13.00 3rd
Assists/set 12.02 3rd
Opp Blocks/set 1.88     3rd
Blocks/set 2.30     3rd
Opp Hit% .192     4th

Eastern ranks 36th in the country in attacks per set (36.55) and 47th with 15.38 digs per set. By volume, it ranks 25th in the nation in total kills (728) and total attacks (2,047), 28th in total assists (673), 30th in total digs (861), and 34th in total blocks (129.0).

Additional MAC/National stats rankings can be found on page eight.

HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS - TEAM SINGLE GAME
Eastern ranks first in the MAC in three team single-game categories, and inside the top three in nine total.

Stat                      Figure MAC     NAT'L
Blocks 17 1st         6th (In four sets)
Three-Set Assists 50 1st         8th
Three-Set Kills       51        1st         9th
Hit%                     .424     2nd       n/a
Four-Set Kills 66 2nd       9th
Three-Set Digs 58          2nd       n/a
Three-Set Blocks 11          2nd       n/a
Four-Set Hit% .336     2nd       n/a
Aces 12          3rd        n/a

HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS- INDIVIDUAL
Eastern Michigan has four players that rank inside the conference top five in various per-set categories.

Name                 Stat      Figure MAC
H. Welker           Blks/Set 1.41     2nd
S. Srinivasan Dig/Set    4.07     3rd
A. Siefke            Kills/Set  3.70     5th
A. Siefke            Pts/Set 4.38     4th

In the national standings, Welker slots 30th in blocks per set (1.41) and seventh in total blocks (76). Siefke ranks 20th in total points (245.0) while Belcher ranks 23rd in total assists (500). Siefke also slots 24th in total attacks (582) and 28th in total kills (207), and Srinivasan checks in at 39th in total digs (228).

Additional MAC/National stats rankings can be found on page eight.

HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS - SINGLE GAME INDIV.

Name                 Stat      Figure MAC
A. Belcher         3-set Ast 41          1st
K. Bonney         Hit%     .688     2nd
H. Welker          Blocks 11          2nd
A. Stanford      Hit%     .667     3rd
S. Srinivasan 4-set Dig 27          3rd
E. Grasson       Aces     4             3rd
H. Welker Aces     4             3rd

In the national standings by volume, Welker's 11 blocks in a four-set match slot fifth, while Belcher's 41 dimes in a three-set match are the ninth most. Grasson's and Welker's four aces tie for seventh in four set matches.

MILESTONES
Ava Siefke recently reached the 500 mark with her 17 kills in the win over SIU, Sept. 12. Ashlynn Belcher reached the 500 digs mark with nine against Oakland, Sept. 19, she now has 508 in her four-year NCAA tenure. Abby Stanford reached 500 kills with her four at IU Indy, Sept. 18 as she totals 509 in her collegiate career.

CHRISTENSEN'S HISTORIC DEBUT
Freshman outside hitter AshleeKay Christensen's 18 kills in her NCAA debut against Radford, Aug. 29, are the most in program history in the modern statistical era for a collegiate debut. Christensen's 15+ kill debut marked the fourth time an Eagles has done so in that time frame. The other three - Rachel Iaquaniello, Jordan Smith, and Cassie Haut all rank inside the program top-10 for career kills as Iaquaniello is the all-time leader with 1,949 from 2009-12.

BELCHER ASSIST DEBUT
Ashlynn Belcher dished 48 assists against Radford, Aug. 29, and UMKC, Aug. 30, the most from an Eagle in their EMU debut since at least 2011. Her 48 dimes are the most from an Eagle overall since Elle McLoughlin dished 49 against Bradley University, Aug. 26, 2023. Her assists total is also the highest from an Eagle in the first game of the season since Kate Sulewski recorded 60 in a five-set win over Charlotte University, Aug. 24, 2007.

SRINIVASAN CONSISTENCY
Junior libero Surabhi Srinivasan has tallied 10+ digs in 13-of-15 matches this season, the most productive stretch in her career. Her 24 digs in the season opener against Radford, Aug. 29 were previously a career high and the most from an Eagle in a season opener since Sierra Reed tallied 26 in a 3-2 win over the University of Hartford, Aug. 30, 2013. Srinivasan set a career-best with 27 digs in the win over Valparaiso, Sept. 5, bettering her previous personal-best (24) by three and marking the most from an Eagle since Kamryn Stilwell recorded 30 against Western Michigan, Sept. 23, 2021.

Srinivasan has posted seven consecutive games with double-digit digs, the longest streak of her tenure as she ranks third in the conference averaging a career-best 4.07 digs per set.

MAHLER HEATING UP
Sophomore outside hitter Taeley Mahler has played well as of late. In her last 10 games, Mahler has tied her career-best total of 10 kills three times, while recording at least nine kills seven times, and hit above .250 nine times.

Mahler has also found consistency defensively, posting at least four blocks in four straight games for the first time in her career, Sept. 13-20.

BONNEY'S EFFICIENT HITTING
Kendal Bonney's 12 kills off a .688 clip marked the highest attack percentage from an Eagle since current overseas professional Raeven Chase put down 15 off a .882 figure in a 3-1 win over Ohio University, Oct. 5, 2019. The figure stands second in the MAC this season.

UP NEXT
Eastern travels north for a rivalry matchup at Central Michigan Tuesday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m.

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

Ashlynn Belcher

Kendal Bonney

AshleeKay Christensen

Taeley Mahler

Ava Siefke

Surabhi Srinivasan

Abby Stanford

Wrigley Takats

Hatteras Welker

Eastern Michigan Athletics