The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team returned home to the George Gervin GameAbove Center for a two-day, two-game matchup with two Ohio teams. The Eagles first welcomed the Bowling Green State University Falcons for a Friday night matchup on Oct. 3, 2025, and the University of Toledo Rockets on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.
Oct. 3 | EMU vs. Bowling Green
Eastern entered the weekend looking to get its first Mid-American Conference win of the season against Bowling Green, which was undefeated in league play. The Eagles were also looking to break a three-game losing streak by using home court to their advantage to keep their home unbeaten record.
The Eagles struck quickly in the first set as Layna Waslewsky delivered a pair of killer serves, forcing the Falcons to backpedal and burn a timeout. Bowling Green stayed composed, however, and battled back to take a 15-12 lead halfway through the set. A deadly spike by Hatteras Welker kept the Eagles within striking distance, but it was not enough as the Eagles dropped the first set 25-17, and Bowling Green took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
In the second set, Bowling Green’s towering front three proved to be difficult to score against as the Falcons controlled the beginning of the second set. Luckily, a back-and-forth scoring affair gave Eastern a two-point lead halfway through the set with a 15-13 lead. All-around domination by Ava Siefke forced the Falcons to call a timeout, but she could not be stopped as she led the Eagles to the set victory, evening the series at one apiece.
Siefke’s superiority continued into the third set as her kill on the Falcons’ attack gave Eastern the 15-12 lead at the timeout break. A late comeback attempt by the Falcons was crushed by Hatteras Welker as she slammed the door closed on the third set, giving Eastern the 2-1 advantage and all the momentum going into the fourth set.
A slow start by the Eagles in the fourth set forced Coach Foeman to call a timeout and attempt to regroup his team as they looked to fight their way back from a 10-4 deficit. The Falcons continued to lead in the fourth as they were up 16-11 halfway through the set with Eastern desperate to go on a scoring run. Eastern’s scoring run did not materialize, and Bowling Green forced a fifth set as they dominated the fourth set by a score of 25-16.
Video reviews ruled most of the fifth set as neither team was able to get any momentum, and the Falcons came out on top in a back-and-forth serving battle with a final score of 15-13, winning the five-set series 3-2.
Outside hitter Ava Siefke led the Eagles with a career high 22 kills, while Ashlynn Belcher earned 23 assists during the match. The Eagles would look to the following day in hopes of gaining their first MAC win against a very strong Toledo team.
Oct. 4 | EMU vs. Toledo
In game two on day two, the Eagles returned to the GameAbove Center for Alumni Night against the Toledo Rockets. The Rockets entered the game with a 12-3 overall record and a 3-0 start in the MAC while the Eagles were still seeking their first MAC victory.
In the first set, Toledo started quickly with a 15-6 lead halfway through the set, forcing the Eagles to take a timeout and attempt to regroup and salvage the set. The Eagles were able to get the lead down to five but could not climb any closer as the Rockets took the first set 25-16.
A fast start to the second set gave Eastern a 15-11 advantage halfway through the set, looking to even the series at one apiece. A late Toledo comeback fell short as the Eagles took the second set, evening the series at 1-1.
Eastern looked to continue their momentum into the third set with some early dominance that gave the Eagles the lead, but the Rockets would not go away and instead tied the score 12-12 with all the momentum going into the second half of the set.
Momentum proved useful as the Rockets stunned the Eagles with a 20-16 lead, and Eastern had to take a timeout, attempting to regain control of the set. In a fantastic comeback attempt, the Eagles managed to tie the set at 24-24 but were unable to retake the lead. Toledo took the set along with a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five matchup.
A back-and-forth battle in the fourth set saw Toledo with a 16-12 advantage, putting the Eagles on the ropes and in need of a magical comeback. The comeback attempt would be put to bed as a Toledo spike put the final nail in the coffin for the game, leaving Eastern 0-2 on the weekend and giving them a 0-4 MAC record to start the season.
Eagles hitter Ava Siefke once again led the team in kills with 14, while Ashlynn Belcher dished out a team-high 34 assists. Both players had more than 10 digs, giving them both another double-double for the season, which highlighted the success they had during the game. Freshman libero Layna Waslewsky found herself in the fray with a team-high 18 digs and a career high of six assists.
Eastern will travel to Mount Pleasant for their next game as they face their in-state rivals the Central Michigan University Chippewas on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2025, at 7 p.m. The Eagles will then return home to the GameAbove Center on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2025, for a clash with Kent State University at 6 p.m. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.
