From Emory University Athletics
The No. 4-ranked Emory volleyball team posted a pair of Thursday evening victories against intra-city foes. The Eagles traveled to the campus of Agnes Scott College where they swept Oglethorpe University (25-16, 25-18, 25-13) before posting a similar result against the host Scotties (25-14, 25-16, 25-16). Highlighting the evening was Emory head coach Jenny McDowell notching her 700th career win following the outcome vs. Oglethorpe.
Emory 3, Oglethorpe 0
** The Eagles hit .301 (45-14—103) for the match vs. the Stormy Petrels' .176 (27-11—91).
** Emory finishes with a 49-39 edge in digs and doles out 10 service aces.
** The Eagles spread out their offensive attack with sophomore Morgan McKnight pacing the squad with eight kills.
** Freshman Maggie Rimmel comes away with seven terminations and hits .455 (7-2—15) while junior Sydney Leimbach also chalks up seven kills
** Junior Mady Arles distributes 25 assists and contributes for digs.
** Freshman Leah Saunders finishes with a team-leading 13 digs to go along with her six successful attack attempts.
** Sophomore Elyse Thompson accounts for seven service aces, the high-water mark by an Emory player this year.
** The first set is knotted at 8-8 before a 14-3 Emory runs stakes it a 22-11 cushion.
** McKnight, Rimmel and Arles all record three kills in the opening set while Thompson picks up three aces.
** Set 2 sees the Eagles trail by a 14-12 count before a pair of kills by Saunders keys a 3-0 spurt to put Emory ahead by a point.
** Up 19-17, five straight Emory points, sparked by a pair of Leimbach kills, extends Emory to a 24-17 advantage.
** In the final set, Emory holds an 8-6 margin before going on a 5-0 run, aided by a pair of Thompson aces, to surge to a 13-6 lead. After the teams split the next eight points, Emory comes through with a 4-0 run to bolt to a 21-10 lead.
Emory 3, Agnes Scott 0
**With Coach McDowell freely using her bench, Emory checks in with .306 (41-11—98) attack percentage compared to ASC's .079 (25-18—89). It is the 15thtime this year that the Eagles have outhit their opponent.
** Junior Carly Saitman leads all players with a career-best 10 kills and hits .292 (10-3—24) for the contest.
** Sophomore Sarah Porter dishes out a season-high 33 assists and posts a hitting effort of .500 on the strength of six kills with zero errors in 12 swings. Porter also accounts for four of the squad's 13 service aces.
** Freshman Jessica Schwenke and sophomore Katie Kane contribute to the win with seven kills apiece.
**Freshman Logan van Reken leads all players with 15 digs.
** Both Emory and Agnes Scott total 42 digs with the Eagles holding a 7-2 margin in total blocks.
** The first set sees Emory hit .342 (15-2—38) with Saitman and Kane each pounding out four terminations.
** The second set is deadlocked at 14-14 before Emory responds with a 6-0 blitz, with junior Mila Barzdukas coming through with a pair of aces. The Eagles close out the set on an 11-2 run to go up 2-0 in the match.
** Freshman Finn Wilkins keys an early 4-0 charge in the third set that pushes Emory to a 10-5 lead.
** The Scotties fight back to within one point (12-13) but the Eagles counter with an 8-1 outburst to move to a 21-13 cushion.