FERRUM, Va. (EMU Athletics) – The Royals were back on the road Wednesday, looking for an ODAC win against Ferrum.

It looked like EMU was on its way to victory, going up 2-1, but the Panthers stormed back and won the final two sets for a 3-2 (25-22, 24-26, 26-28, 25-18, 15-10) win.

Records: EMU 8-14, 2-9 ODAC | Ferrum College 7-14, 2-7 ODAC

Highlights
Set One – Ferrum 25, EMU 22
• Kills by Mara Woolford, Kassidy Meadows and Kenley Smith, gave EMU a 3-1 lead to start the match. Ferrum answered with a 6-1 run, to take a 7-4 lead.
• The teams traded points to 11-8 FC, before EMU scored four straight off kills from Woolford and Smith, along with a Madison Stockner ace. A 9-2 Panther tilt gave them the lead back, 20-14, before EMU scored two straight to pull within four.
• The Royals would cut Ferrum’s lead to two, with a 6-2 run late, picking up kills from Woolford and Stockner, an ace from Stockner and a block from Woolford and Stockner. But the Panthers would close out the set with a kill for a 1-0 lead.

Set Two – EMU 26, Ferrum 24
• The teams traded points to start the second, until a 3-0 EMU run, highlighted by a kill from Sophia Denby, gave them an 8-5 lead.
• Later in the set, with Ferrum leading 12-11, EMU reeled off an 8-3 run, with two kills from Denby and one from Stockner, for a 19-15 lead. Ferrum would pull within one, but kills from Denby and Kaitlyn Custis, along with an Alannys Rodriguez ace, pushed EMU to a 22-18 advantage.
• With the Royals leading 23-20, Ferrum scored four straight to get to set point. But the Royals rallied, winning the next three points, including back-to-back kills from Woolford, to tie the match at one apiece.

Set Three – EMU 28, Ferrum 26
• After EMU jumped out to a 4-2 lead to start the third set, Ferrum went on a big run, 9-0, to take an 11-4 lead. EMU answered with a run of their own, 8-1, to tie things at 12.
• Ferrum scored the next five points, to take a 17-12 advantage, and were able to get to a 21-16 lead late in the set. But the Royals weren’t going down without a fight, using kills from Woolford, along with a Mckenzie Taylor service ace, to storm back and take a 24-22 lead. The Panthers responded with three points, to take a 25-24 lead, and the teams traded points to 26-26. The Royals finished out the set, however, using a Meadows kill and an attack error, for a 2-1 match lead.

Set Four – Ferrum 25, EMU 18
• Neither team could grab much momentum in the fourth, with EMU holding a slim 10-9 lead through the first 19 points. Ferrum answered back to take a 13-11 advantage, but EMU’s 3-0 run, highlighted by kills from Denby and Stockner, and a Claire Reichenbach ace, gave them a 14-13 lead.
• Ferrum retook the lead with a 6-1 tilt and, after two points from EMU, closed out the set by winning six of the final seven points, to force a fifth set.

Set Five – Ferrum 15, EMU 10
• The Panthers jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but kills from Meadows and Denby, and another Reichenbach ace, tied things at five.
• Neither team could pull ahead by more than one over the next 10 points, as things were tied at 10-10 after a Panther attack error. But that would be as close as EMU could get, as Ferrum reeled off the match’s final five points to pick up the win.

Statistical Leaders
Woolford: 18 kills, 13 digs, 2 aces, 2 blocks
Custis: 30 assists, 3 kills, 8 digs
Anna Black: 21 digs, 5 assists, 1 ace

What’s Next
EMU will be back on the floor on Saturday, when they head to Raleigh, North Carolina for a tri-match. They’ll take on Salem College at 2 pm before finishing up with host William Peace at 4 pm.

— EMU Athletics —