In a Senior Night showdown, the number one team in the Mid-American Conference, the Ball State University Cardinals, returned to the George Gervin GameAbove Center on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, to take on the Eastern Michigan University women’s volleyball team for game two of the two-game series.
The match marked the final time that six Eastern Michigan seniors — Ashlynn Belcher, Kendal Bonney, Ella Grasson, Abby Stanford, Bri Struck and Ella Voorhees — would don the Eastern uniform and compete in the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Ball State would secure a 3-1 victory over the Eagles and take home the MAC regular-season championship after locking up the one seed in the tournament just the day prior. Here’s how it happened.
First set | Ball State wins, 25-22
To start the first set, Eastern scored three straight points and forced the Cardinals to sub early, with Hatteras Welker earning the game’s first ace. At the media timeout, the Eagles were up 15-12, but the Cardinals were gaining momentum.
After the timeout, Ball State continued to climb back into the game, tying the game twice at 16-16 and 17-17. Voorhees added another service ace to the Eagles’ tally. After the ties, the Cardinals managed to control a 19-17 lead before the Eagles called a timeout to regroup. Eastern responded accordingly as they tied the game up at 22 after an illegal touch by the Cardinals.
The Cardinals’ defense eventually woke up, with three straight blocks giving them the 25-22 first-set victory over the Eagles.
Second set | Eastern Michigan wins, 25-22
To start the second set, neither team could gain any momentum; they went back and forth to score points, with no one gaining more than a two-point lead before the other team tied the game up once more.
Welker and Bonney provided the Eagles with enough defense to keep them alive, while Ava Siefke dominated the offensive scoring. Siefke’s serves were so successful that she forced the Cardinals to take a timeout after the Eagles went up 21-19. Eastern’s momentum could only be slowed and not stopped, as an Anna Guard super spike gave the Eagles a 25-22 victory and tied up the series 1-1.
Third set | Ball State wins, 25-23
Multiple volleys prevented either team from earning a flurry of points, but consistent defense and multiple kills by the Cardinals gave them a four-point lead going into the media timeout.
The Eagles had shown glimpses of momentum during the first half of the third set but were unable to capitalize early. After the timeout, the Eagles clawed their way back into the match thanks to the spiking skills of Welker. Siefke also contributed with multiple kills, keeping the Eagles within striking distance.
Eastern Michigan, under the pressure of match point, managed to turn defense into offense and scored five straight, forcing Ball State to call a timeout with a 24-23 lead.
However, the Eagles’ defense couldn’t hold on forever, and the Cardinals took the set 25-23 and gained a 2-1 series lead going into the fourth set.
Fourth set | Ball State wins, 25-21, clinches match
A quick 3-0 start by the Cardinals was snuffed out by the Eagles as consistent defense turned into dangerous offense.
Welker and Siefke anchored the Eagles with multiple kills each, preventing Ball State from gaining an insurmountable lead. Bonney also got in on the offense, allowing the Eagles to tie the set up at 11 apiece.
The Cardinals gained a 15-14 advantage going into the media timeout, marking the halfway point in the fourth set.
After the break, some quick thinking by Welker and two mistakes by the Cardinals gave the Eagles a 19-18 lead going into the final portion of the set.
On the next serve, Siefke managed to spike the ball into the arms of two Cardinal defenders, who deflected the ball back onto Siefke’s unsuspecting head. Luckily, the header by Siefke bounced over the net once more and fell to the floor in Cardinals territory, giving Eastern a one-point lead after the curious sequence of events.
The Cardinals were unamused by the play and imposed their will by scoring three straight points before the Eagles took a timeout down 23-20. The timeout was an unsuccessful attempt by the Eagles to regain momentum, as a mistake and two swift spikes by the Cardinals ended the upset attempt with a final score of 25-21 and gave Ball State the 3-1 series win over the Eagles.
Welker and Siefke filled the stat sheet as they led the Eagles in almost every statistical category. Welker led the Eagles in aces with two, blocks with three, and scored 17.5 points. Siefke led the squad in the kills category with 16 and had 18 digs on the night. Senior Voorhees also showed out as she earned a season high of 25 assists to mark the end of her home career at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Up next
The Eagles will be saying goodbye to six seniors as they travel to Oxford, Ohio, to play their final two games of the season.
Eastern will play the Miami University RedHawks on Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, to end the regular season. Fans can watch the games on ESPN+ or follow them on the Eastern Michigan Athletics Website.
