Following a home sweep of Kent State University at home last week, Eastern Michigan’s women’s volleyball team hoped to keep the momentum going on their road trip to Athens, Ohio.
Those hopes would be dashed by Ohio University. The Bobcats downed the Eagles in back-to-back matches Thursday, Oct. 16 and Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, by scores of 3-2 and 3-1 respectively.
Game 1 Recap | Ohio wins 3-2
The Eagles gave the home team all they could handle on Thursday night, taking Ohio to a deciding fifth set that came down to the wire until falling in the last stanza, 16-14.
Eastern Michigan got off to a fast start, taking the opening set before falling in the subsequent two and digging themselves into a 2-1 hole with their backs against the wall.
The green and white would respond by getting the better of Ohio in a tightly contested fourth set, holding off the Bobcats 25-23 and tying the match at two apiece before losing in the aforementioned final set.
Ashlynn Belcher and Ava Siefke shone for the Eagles on the offensive end — Belcher posted her sixth double double of the campaign with 32 assists and 11 digs, while Siefke led the team with 20 kills, also adding nine digs.
Defensively, usual suspects Hatteras Welker and Surabhi Srinivasan headlined the team’s efforts, with Welker adding six blocks to the stat sheet while Srinivasan supplied a match high 22 digs.
The win for Ohio moved them to 6-14 on the season, improving their Mid-American Conference record back to .500 at 4-4, while knocking the Eagles down to 10-11, sitting at 2-6 in conference play.
Game 2 Recap | Ohio wins 3-1
Following a back and forth affair the previous evening, Ohio University had a much easier time dispatching of the Eagles on Friday, Oct. 17 — defeating Eastern Michigan in four sets.
The Eagles found themselves in a 2-0 hole early on, and while they were able to hold off a late Bobcat rally to capture the third set, 27-25, they were unable to keep the momentum going and ultimately fell in the match deciding stanza, 25-18.
Ashlynn Belcher once again shone for the road team, racking up her seventh double double of the campaign thanks to 31 assists and 11 digs. Hatteras Welker also posted gaudy numbers with a career high 14 kills.
Surabhi Srinivasan led the way defensively with a match high 16 digs.
With the win, Ohio improved to 7-14 on the campaign, now sitting above .500 at 5-4 in MAC play, while Eastern Michigan dropped to 10-12, holding a 2-7 record in the conference.
What’s Next
The Eagles will have the next six days off to rest and regroup before returning home to the George Gervin GameAbove Center for a pivotal doubleheader against the University at Buffalo on Thursday, Oct. 23 and Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. Both matches are slated to start at 6 p.m.
Viewers can attend both matches free of charge or stream them live on ESPN+.
