Eastern Michigan Athletics
Belcher and Welker Earn MAC Player of the Week Accolades
9/8/2025 4:20:00 PM | Volleyball
Belcher was named setter of the week and Welker earned defensive player of the week honors
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan University volleyball student-athletes Ashlynn Belcher and Hatteras Welker were named Mid-American Conference Players of the Week Monday, Sept. 8.
Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) was named setter of the week and Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) earned defensive player of the week accolades. The awards come after both were named to the EMU Tournament All-Tournament Team as Belcher took home MVP honors.
Belcher's award is the first of her collegiate volleyball career and Welker's marks the second of her career as she previously earned the honor, Sept. 23, 2024.
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 added four kills (0.31/set) and two aces (0.15/set) offensively while contributing 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 first in the MAC and 20th in the nation this season. Additionally, her 41 dimes against Niagara, Sept. 6, are the most in a three-set match in the MAC this season and eight more than the second-highest total in the conference (33). That total also ranks fourth in the country.
Welker was on a tare 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/set) and four aces (0.31/set) while pitching in seven digs (0.54/set), equaling 47.5 points (3.65/set).
Welker 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 third-most in the nation. The match saw Eastern record 17 blocks, the most in the conference this season and fourth in the country in a four-set match. Furthermore, she had a standout offensive performance in the sweep over Purdue University-Fort Wayne, Sept. 4, landing nine kills off a .533 clip.
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.
Belcher (Marengo, Ohio/Highland/Old Dominion) was named setter of the week and Welker (Sunbury, Ohio/Sunbury) earned defensive player of the week accolades. The awards come after both were named to the EMU Tournament All-Tournament Team as Belcher took home MVP honors.
Belcher's award is the first of her collegiate volleyball career and Welker's marks the second of her career as she previously earned the honor, Sept. 23, 2024.
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 added four kills (0.31/set) and two aces (0.15/set) offensively while contributing 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 first in the MAC and 20th in the nation this season. Additionally, her 41 dimes against Niagara, Sept. 6, are the most in a three-set match in the MAC this season and eight more than the second-highest total in the conference (33). That total also ranks fourth in the country.
Welker was on a tare 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/set) and four aces (0.31/set) while pitching in seven digs (0.54/set), equaling 47.5 points (3.65/set).
Welker 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 third-most in the nation. The match saw Eastern record 17 blocks, the most in the conference this season and fourth in the country in a four-set match. Furthermore, she had a standout offensive performance in the sweep over Purdue University-Fort Wayne, Sept. 4, landing nine kills off a .533 clip.
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.
Players Mentioned
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