Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, September 6
Ypsilanti, Mich.
11 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
5-2,0-0MAC
3
vs
0
Niagara
0-5,0-0MAAC
1
2
3
F
Niagara
18
22
15
0
Eastern Mich.
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Joey Wolter
Volleyball Captures EMU Tournament Crown, Sweeps Niagara, 3-0
9/6/2025 2:12:00 PM | Volleyball
The win marks EMU’s first time going undefeated in a home tournament since 1993
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team completed a 3-0 weekend at the 2025 EMU Tournament as it ended the tourney with a 3-0 sweep of the Niagara University Purple Eagles Saturday, Sept. 6, inside the George Gervin Game Above Center.
The win marks EMU's first time going undefeated in a home tournament since 1993.
Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) and Abby Stanford (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri Valley/Ashland) led the Eastern offense with 12 kills apiece as Siefke recorded her third double-double of the season and 10th of her career, adding 12 digs and six blocks defensively.
Ashlynn Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) was a bright spot. Dishing a match-high 41 assists and grabbing 15 digs for her third double-double as an Eagle and 17th of her career. Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) was strong at the net defensively, recording eight blocks.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Purple Eagles got the upper hand early as they reached the 10-point mark first, leading EMU, 10-8. Eastern came back to take a 13-12 lead courtesy of three consecutive blocks from Welker, Siefke, and Belcher. Eastern entered the media timeout up 15-12. The Eagles reached the 20-point mark first, leading Niagara, 20-16, as Belcher got the dump on Niagara to put Eastern at 20-points with an assist from Siefke. EMU captured the first set, 25-18. Welker finished with five blocks while Stanford secured five kills.
SET TWO | The Eagles took control early as they reached the 10-point mark first, leading Niagara, 10-9. Welker got the kill with an assist from Belcher to help maintain control, giving the Eagles the opportunity to reach the 20-point mark first, leading Niagara, 20-18. A kill from AshleeKay Christensen (Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle) put the Eagles ahead, 23-20, forcing Niagara to take a timeout. With the final blow, Siefke landed a kill to end the set, 25-22, taking a 2-0 advantage.
SET THREE | Belcher secured her first kill of the match in the third set, giving the Eagles control early as they reached the 10-point mark, leading Niagara, 10-6. With an assist from Belcher, Stanford recorded a kill to put the Eagles at the 20-point mark first as EMU led, 20-15, forcing Niagara to call a timeout. The Eagles swept the match as the final kill of the set came from Bri Struck (Broadlands, Ill./Heritage/Parkland College), ending the set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 5-2 (0-0 MAC) while Niagara's dropped to 0-5 (0-0 MAAC).
» Eastern had more kills (51-34), assists (50-34), aces (5-3), and blocks (11-4) than its opponent while hitting .286 to Niagara's .150.
» Eastern's best offensive set was the second, landing 18 kills off a .255 clip with 18 assists and two aces. Defensively, EMU shined in the second set with 27 digs while recording five total blocks in both the first and third sets.
» Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) grabbed 14 digs, marking her sixth time reaching the double-digit mark this season. The junior has recorded at least 10 digs in 6-of-7 games this season.
» Belcher led the team with 41 assists and 15 digs, marking the 17th double-double of her career and third with Eastern.
» Eastern is off to a 5-2 start through seven games for the first time since the 2018 season. 2018 is the last time EMU won a MAC Tournament Championship.
» Siefke finished the match with 12 kills and 12 digs, marking the 10th double-double of her career and third with Eastern, while securing a career-high with six blocks.
» Stanford secured 12 kills with a .667 hitting percentage. This would mark her second time having a .667 hitting percentage this season and her fourth time having a hitting percentage over .600 in her career.
» Siefke and Belcher both secured double-doubles. The last time two players both captured double-doubles was with Siefke (14k, 12D), and Belcher (40A, 14D) against Marshall, Aug. 29.
» Welker secured back to back games with eight blocks. The last time a player captured back-to-back games with eight or more blocks was Welker against Toledo and NIU, Oct. 11, Oct. 17, 2024.
» With 11 blocks, Eastern has recorded 10+ blocks in three consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 13-14 of the 2024 season. EMU is undefeated this year (3-0) when swatting 10 or more.
» The match marked EMU's second time hitting over .250 this season and fifth time in the Foeman era. Overall, EMU is 2-0 this season when eclipsing the .250 mark and 3-2 when doing so under Foeman.
Historical Notes
» With the win, the Eagles went undefeated in a home tournament for the first time since the 1993 season when it went 4-0 at the EMU/Ann Arbor News Classic.
» The match marked the second all-time between the Eagles and Purple Eagles. Eastern is now 2-0 against Niagara and has swept it in both competitions.
» Siefke currently stands 14 kills away from the 500 mark as she holds 486 in her NCAA career.
» Eastern is off to a 3-0 start at home for the first time since the 2018 season, the last time EMU won a MAC Tournament Championship.
» The win marked the Eagles' third consecutive. It is the second occurrence of a three-game winning streak in the Head Coach Kevin Foeman era.
Up Next
Eastern will now travel to Rochester, Mich., for the Golden Grizzly Invitational, hosted by Oakland University Friday-Saturday, Sept. 12-13. The Eagles' first match will be against Xavier University, Friday, 12 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.
The win marks EMU's first time going undefeated in a home tournament since 1993.
Ava Siefke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) and Abby Stanford (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri Valley/Ashland) led the Eastern offense with 12 kills apiece as Siefke recorded her third double-double of the season and 10th of her career, adding 12 digs and six blocks defensively.
Ashlynn Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) was a bright spot. Dishing a match-high 41 assists and grabbing 15 digs for her third double-double as an Eagle and 17th of her career. Hatteras Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) was strong at the net defensively, recording eight blocks.
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Purple Eagles got the upper hand early as they reached the 10-point mark first, leading EMU, 10-8. Eastern came back to take a 13-12 lead courtesy of three consecutive blocks from Welker, Siefke, and Belcher. Eastern entered the media timeout up 15-12. The Eagles reached the 20-point mark first, leading Niagara, 20-16, as Belcher got the dump on Niagara to put Eastern at 20-points with an assist from Siefke. EMU captured the first set, 25-18. Welker finished with five blocks while Stanford secured five kills.
SET TWO | The Eagles took control early as they reached the 10-point mark first, leading Niagara, 10-9. Welker got the kill with an assist from Belcher to help maintain control, giving the Eagles the opportunity to reach the 20-point mark first, leading Niagara, 20-18. A kill from AshleeKay Christensen (Carlisle, Iowa/Carlisle) put the Eagles ahead, 23-20, forcing Niagara to take a timeout. With the final blow, Siefke landed a kill to end the set, 25-22, taking a 2-0 advantage.
SET THREE | Belcher secured her first kill of the match in the third set, giving the Eagles control early as they reached the 10-point mark, leading Niagara, 10-6. With an assist from Belcher, Stanford recorded a kill to put the Eagles at the 20-point mark first as EMU led, 20-15, forcing Niagara to call a timeout. The Eagles swept the match as the final kill of the set came from Bri Struck (Broadlands, Ill./Heritage/Parkland College), ending the set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0.
Match Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 5-2 (0-0 MAC) while Niagara's dropped to 0-5 (0-0 MAAC).
» Eastern had more kills (51-34), assists (50-34), aces (5-3), and blocks (11-4) than its opponent while hitting .286 to Niagara's .150.
» Eastern's best offensive set was the second, landing 18 kills off a .255 clip with 18 assists and two aces. Defensively, EMU shined in the second set with 27 digs while recording five total blocks in both the first and third sets.
» Surabhi Srinivasan (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) grabbed 14 digs, marking her sixth time reaching the double-digit mark this season. The junior has recorded at least 10 digs in 6-of-7 games this season.
» Belcher led the team with 41 assists and 15 digs, marking the 17th double-double of her career and third with Eastern.
» Eastern is off to a 5-2 start through seven games for the first time since the 2018 season. 2018 is the last time EMU won a MAC Tournament Championship.
» Siefke finished the match with 12 kills and 12 digs, marking the 10th double-double of her career and third with Eastern, while securing a career-high with six blocks.
» Stanford secured 12 kills with a .667 hitting percentage. This would mark her second time having a .667 hitting percentage this season and her fourth time having a hitting percentage over .600 in her career.
» Siefke and Belcher both secured double-doubles. The last time two players both captured double-doubles was with Siefke (14k, 12D), and Belcher (40A, 14D) against Marshall, Aug. 29.
» Welker secured back to back games with eight blocks. The last time a player captured back-to-back games with eight or more blocks was Welker against Toledo and NIU, Oct. 11, Oct. 17, 2024.
» With 11 blocks, Eastern has recorded 10+ blocks in three consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 13-14 of the 2024 season. EMU is undefeated this year (3-0) when swatting 10 or more.
» The match marked EMU's second time hitting over .250 this season and fifth time in the Foeman era. Overall, EMU is 2-0 this season when eclipsing the .250 mark and 3-2 when doing so under Foeman.
Historical Notes
» With the win, the Eagles went undefeated in a home tournament for the first time since the 1993 season when it went 4-0 at the EMU/Ann Arbor News Classic.
» The match marked the second all-time between the Eagles and Purple Eagles. Eastern is now 2-0 against Niagara and has swept it in both competitions.
» Siefke currently stands 14 kills away from the 500 mark as she holds 486 in her NCAA career.
» Eastern is off to a 3-0 start at home for the first time since the 2018 season, the last time EMU won a MAC Tournament Championship.
» The win marked the Eagles' third consecutive. It is the second occurrence of a three-game winning streak in the Head Coach Kevin Foeman era.
Up Next
Eastern will now travel to Rochester, Mich., for the Golden Grizzly Invitational, hosted by Oakland University Friday-Saturday, Sept. 12-13. The Eagles' first match will be against Xavier University, Friday, 12 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.
Team Stats
Niag
EMU
Kills
34
51
Errors
17
13
Attempts
113
133
Hitting %
.150
.286
Points
41.0
67.0
Assists
34
50
Aces
3
5
Blocks
4
11
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballOH
/ VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Volleyball
DS/OH
/ VolleyballMB/OPP
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
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