Women's Volleyball

Thursday Competition Highlighted by Eagles' First Home Win

Thursday Volleyball Results
Northern Kentucky 3, Western Michigan 1
Cincinnati 3, Ohio 1
#17 Purdue 3, Bowling Green 2
Eastern Michigan 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 0 
 
Recap courtesy of Eastern Michigan's Athletic Communications Department

Eastern Michigan 3, Purdue Fort Wayne 0 | Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team recorded the sixth-best hitting percentage in program history, as it swept Purdue University-Fort Wayne in its home-opening match, 3-0, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center Thursday, Sept. 4, in the Eagles' first game of the EMU Tournament.
 
Eastern hit .424 as a team, the highest in the Head Coach Kevin Foeman era and a figure that ranks 15th nationally this season.
 
Ava Siefke paced the offense with 11 kills off 22 swings with just one error, while adding two aces, one block, and four digs, equaling a match-high 13.5 points. Hatteras Welker spearheaded the defense with six blocks while adding nine kills off a .533 clip offensively. She was aided by Surabhi Srinivasan with13 digs as Ashlynn Belcher controlled the setting, distributing 32 assists.
 
How it Happened
SET ONE | The Eagles came out firing, scoring five points before PFW made its first scratch in the score column. The Mastodons called a timeout after an Abby Stanford made the score 7-1 in favor of EMU. Eastern was the first team to 15 in the set as it reached the mark with a nine-point edge at 16-5 advantage. EMU went on to win the set, 25-12 as it hit .480 in the set while tallying eight blocks.
 
SET TWO | PFW rebounded in the second set as it got out to a four-point lead at 11-7 before the Eagles tied it at 12 apiece after consecutive blocks from Welker, Siefke, and Taeley Mahler. Eastern would take a 15-14 lead into the media timeout. The Eagles kept the momentum rolling, increasing their lead to four at 19-15. The Eagles went on to win the set, 25-20, after recording match-highs with 14 kills, 15 digs, and 18 points.
 
SET THREE | Eastern was the first team to reach 10 as it led PFW 10-7 and again got out to a commanding eight-point lead, 20-12. EMU cruised to a set and match victory, winning by a comfortable 11-point margin, 25-14.
 
Match Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 3-2 (0-0 MAC) and PFW's dropped to 0-5 (0-0 Horizon)
» Eastern's best offensive set was the third, putting down 14 kills off 28 swings with just one error for a .464 attack percentage.
» Eastern's .424 attack percentage is the highest in a single match in the MAC this season and its 11 blocks are the second-most in the conference in a three-set match.
» Siefke led the team in kills for the fourth time this season. She has notched double-digit kills in every match this season. She is currently riding a career-best five-game streak of double-digit kills.
» Belcher led the team in assists for the fifth time this season and secured her fourth match of the season with 30+ assists, marking the 17th of her career.
» Welker's nine kills, six blocks, and 12.5 points are all season-highs while her .533 attack clip is a career-best when totaling at least 15 attacks.
» Welker (.533), Stanford (.667), and Christensen (.294) all recorded career-best hitting percentages.
» Stanford's .667 clip ranks third in the MAC this season in a single game as it holds the conference's top spot when it comes to three-set matches. It is ninth in the nation when recording 10-14 attacks.
» Belcher's 32 assists are tied for the most in the MAC in a three-set contest while Srinivasan's 13 digs tie for the third-most.  
 
Historical Notes
» The Eagles .424 single-game hitting percentage is the sixth-best in program history and stands 15th in the nation.
» EMU's .424 clip is its best since it hit .430 in a 3-0 sweep over Norfolk State University, Sept. 7, 2018.
» Eastern and PFW met for the 23rd time. EMU now holds a 10-13 record against the Mastodons and a 6-4 mark when facing them in Ypsilanti.  
» After the win, the Eagles hold a 27-21 record in home-opening contests.
» Eastern's win marks its 39th in a home tournament. Overall, it holds a 39-12 record when competing in home tournaments.  
 
Up Next
Eastern faces Valparaiso University in its second game of the EMU Tournament tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m. Admission is free at the George Gervin GameAbove Center and fans can stream the action live on ESPN+.