From Emory University Athletics
The No. 8-ranked Emory volleyball team battled to a pair of wins on Friday at the UAA Championships and has advanced to conference's title match on Saturday. The Eagles rolled to a 3-0 quarterfinal round win (25-19, 25-8, 25-15) over New York University before posting a 3-1 verdict (25-15, 25-10, 21-25, 25-23) over No. 14 and host Washington University in the semifinals.
Emory 3, New York University 0
Emory hits .320 (43-12—97) for the match while holding the Violets to a mark of .082 (23-15—98) … The Eagles use a balanced attack in securing the win, with senior Jessica Holler and freshman Morgan McKnight tying for match honors with eight kills apiece … Holler closes out the contest hitting .500 (8-1—14) while McKnight checks in at .389 (8-1—18) … Sophomore Sydney Leimbach contributes seven terminations to go along with a .357 attack percentage … Junior Hannah Billing and sophomore Mady Arles total 21 and 19 assists, respectively.
Set 1 – NYU leads during the early stage of the set and holds a 12-8 edge at one point … Senior Sarah Maher comes through with a pair of kills to spark a 4-1 Emory run that draws it to within one point (12-13) … Tied at 15-15, an 8-3 Eagle spurt that is highlighted by four different players coming through with kills propels Emory to a 23-18 cushion … After a NYU point, Emory capitalizes on a pair of Violet miscues to claim the first set … McKnight, Leimbach and Maher all pick up four kills in the first game while sophomore Becky Breuer chalks up nine of her match-high 18 digs.
Set 2 – Emory hits .435 (11-1—23) in a dominating second-set effort … The Eagles blow out to a 5-0 lead with sophomore Mira Grinsfelder dishing out a service ace while adding a kill … Emory holds a 7-3 margin before blitzing NYU with eight unanswered points to take command of the game … Freshman Sara Carr plays a key role in that run by doling out all three of her service aces … Later in the set, a 7-2 Emory sprint boosts its lead to 22-6 … The Eagles hold the Violets to a -.043 hitting effort in the set.
Set 3 – NYU scores five of the set's first seven points … A couple of kills by Holler figure in a 5-1 Emory run that gives it a one-point lead, 7-6 … After the Violets score the next two points, three kills by senior Kathryn Trinka fuel a 6-1 Eagle charge that gives them a 13-9 bulge … Holding a 16-11 lead, Emory separates further with four straight points, which sees Maher and McKnight pick up terminations … A kill from McKnight puts Emory one point from clinching the match,and the Eagles close it out following an NYU hitting error … Trinka accounts for five of her six kills in the set.
Emory 3, Washington University 1
Emory finishes with a hitting percentage of .285 (55-14—144) compared to the Bears' .167 (50-25—150), the 30th time this year it has enjoyed an edge in that category … Jessica Holler and Morgan McKnight combine for 29 of the team's 55 terminations … Holler hits .714 (15-0—21), the high-water mark by an Eagle this year (12 or more kills) while McKnight tied her season best with 14 kills … Sarah Maher rings up nine successful attack attempts and chips in 14 digs, her 15th double-figure effort of the campaign … Freshman Mady Arles and junior Hannah Billings registered 24 and 20 assists, respectively, with Arles' total a personal best.
Set 1 – Wash U jumps out to an 8-3 lead, but sees the Eagles regroup to rattle off a 22-7 explosion to win the set … Kathryn Trinka come up with two kills to key a 5-0 run, tying the game at 8-8 … The Bears lead by a 13-12 count following kill from Ifeoma Ufondu, but their lead is short-lived as Emory tallies five straight points, with Holler registering a pair of kills in that stretch, to take a 17-13 lead … A kill by WU's Julianne Malek draws the hosts to within five points (15-20), but the Eagles account for the set's final five points to take a 1-0 lead in the match … Holler picks up four kills and Arles three to pace the offensive attack.
Set 2 – Emory is dominant in going up 2-0 in the match, blasting away for a .500 hitting mark (12-0—24), while holding the Bears to .000 (7-7—27) … Back-to-back terminations by McKnight provide the Eagles a 5-1 advantage … The teams split the next 10 points before a 6-2 Emory run, keyed by two kills from Maher, ups its cushion to 16-8 … After a WU point, the Eagles put the set out of reach with six unanswered points, two coming on McKnight terminations.
Set 3 – Wash U stays alive with an offensive effort that results in a .333 (17-4—39) hitting mark … The Bears score six of the game's opening seven points, only to see Emory tie the set at 8-8 after a kill by Holler … A 5-1 burst by WU gives it a 13-9 edge, but Emory counters with a 6-2 response, highlighted by two kills apiece from Sydney Leimbach and Maher, to knot the score at 15-15 … Three straight kills by Ufondu spark a 5-1 WU run, but successful swings by Holler and Leimbach keep Emory in the hunt, down, 19-21 … After WU takes a 23-20 edge, a kill by Maher draws the Eagles to within two, but WU claims the last two points to send the match into a fourth set.
Set 4 – Both teams trade momentum swings throughout the set which is the best-played game of the match … A kill by Trinka puts Emory ahead by a 10-5 margin, but the Bears battle back with a 4-1 run to slice their deficit to two points … A kill by Holler, followed by a WU attack miscue, gives Emory some breathing room at 17-12, but WU bounces back with a 7-1 sprint that puts it ahead, 19-18 … Down by a 20-19 margin, the Eagles rattle off four straight points, the first coming on a kill by Leimbach with Holler adding a pair of block assists on other WU attack opportunities, to bolt to a 23-20 lead … After a kill by WU's Caroline Dupont narrows EU's advantage to 24-23, Holler's 15th and final kill of the match seals the win for Emory.