Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
10-10,2-5MAC
Kent State
7-11,2-5MAC
Mahler and Takats Post Career-Highs, Volleyball Tops Kent State, 3-1
10/10/2025 6:28:00 PM | Volleyball
Mahler drilled 15 kills off a .481 hitting peretnage and Takats had eight blocks
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team bested Kent State University in four sets, 3-1, as the Eagles captured their second consecutive victory in as many days inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Friday evening, Oct. 10.
Sophomore outside hitter Taeley Mahler (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) led the Eastern offense with a career-best 15 kills off a .481 hitting percentage as she added five blocks. Ashlynn Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) handled the setting duties, leading the match with 39 assists while adding five kills and nine digs. Sophomore middle blocker Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) pitched in with three aces, nine kills, and five blocks.
Defensively, sophomore middle blocker Wrigley Takats (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) totaled a career-best eight blocks, and Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) notched a match-high 24 digs.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Eagles jumped out to an early lead, handily winning the first set, 25-14. Eastern Michigan never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 10-9 in a set that showcased two lead changes before the Eagles took over the lead. Eastern also supplemented its offense with four aces in the opening set.
SET TWO | Eastern Michigan built on a set-one win by securing a 25-18 victory in set two. The Eagles never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 in a set that showcased four lead changes before EMU took over in the second half of the stanza. Eastern's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Kent State attacks in the stanza.
SET THREE | Eastern couldn't end the match in a sweep, losing the third set to trim its lead to 2-1 as the Eagles came up short in a back-and-forth battle, losing, 25-23. Neither team had a lead of more than four points along the way.
SET FOUR | Eastern then responded to close out the match with a 25-18 set-four victory. The Eagles took the lead for good at 9-8 in a set that showcased two lead changes before the Eagles took over the lead. Eastern Michigan got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked five Kent State attacks in the stanza.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 10-10 (2-5 MAC) while Kent State's shifted to 7-11 (2-5 MAC).
» With the win, Eastern has won consecutive MAC games for the first time since it won three straight against Miami, Oct. 4-5, and Bowling Green, Oct. 10.
» Eastern out-hit its foe (.176 - .091) for the 10th time this season, producing a 10-0 record when doing so. EMU is 24-4 overall under Head Coach Kevin Foeman when out-hitting its opponent.
» Eastern had more kills (51-43), assists (47-42), aces (8-3), digs (81-66) than the Golden Flashes.
» Eastern's 81 digs and 13 blocks each slot third in the MAC by value for digs in a four-set match.
» Taeley Mahler drilled a career-best 15 kills off a .481 hitting percentage while adding five blocks. Her .481 hitting percentage is the best in her career when totaling at least 10 kills. She posted 10+ kills for the fourth time this season and fifth in her career. Additionally, she secured 10 or more points for the eighth time this season and 11th in her collegiate tenure.
» Ashlynn Belcher's totaled 39 assists led the team, marking the 20th time she has done so this season. The performance marked her 13th with at least 30 assists this season and brought her career total up to 26 games.
» Surabhi Srinivasan led the team in digs for the 15th time this season as she grabbed 24, marking her third time with 20+ digs in her career.
» Wrigley Takats had a career-best eight blocks in the match, besting her previous career-best total of six originally set at Western Michigan, Sept. 25.
» Ella Voorhees (Morgantown, W. Va./Morgantown/Southern Miss.) collected 17 digs, marking her third time with at least 10 digs this season and 12th in her career. Her 17 digs tie for a season-best mark originally set at IU Indy, Sept. 18.
Historical Notes
» The match marked the 67th between the Eagles and Golden Flashes. Overall, Eastern holds a 43-23-1 mark against the Golden Flashes and a 24-10-1 mark when facing them at home.
» Kevin Foeman is now 6-0 against Kent State in his EMU tenure.
Up Next
Eastern hits the road to face Ohio University Thursday-Friday, Oct. 16-17, 6 p.m., 3 p.m.
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