HARRISONBURG, Va. (EMU Athletics) – Instead of a match on Homecoming this year, the Royals women’s volleyball team kicked off the festivities with a Thursday night matchup, taking on first-year program Sweet Briar.

EMU made quick work of the Vixens, picking up a 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-11) win in a non-ODAC match.

Records: EMU 5-13, 1-3 ODAC | Sweet Briar 0-13, 0-0 DIII Independent

Highlights
Set One: EMU 25, SBC 11
• EMU jumped out to a 9-3 lead to start the match, with kills from Lindsay Bly and Emma Rogers, along with four service aces from Rogers, Claire Reichenbach and Rebekah Allen.
• The Vixens went on a 6-4 run, pulling within four at 13-9. EMU then put the petal to the metal, going on a 12-2 tilt to finish out the set, picking up a pair of kills each from Rogers, Bly and Kenley Smith, and three more service aces.

Set Two: EMU 25, SBC 8
• This time the Royals pulled out to a 7-3 lead to start the second, getting kills from Bly, Rogers, Ella Lambert, Sophie Dollyhigh and Jada Parker, and forcing a Vixens timeout.
• Back-to-back EMU errors pulled SBC within two, 7-5, before an 11-1 EMU run, highlighted by a trio of Emerson Moats service aces, busted the set wide open.
• EMU would finish things out with a 7-2 run, adding three more service aces, this time from Reese Allen, for a 2-0 match lead.

Set Three: EMU 25, SBC 11
• The third set started out tightly contested, with things tied at five through the first 10 points. EMU then broke the set open with an 12-1 run, as two kills from Logan Turchetta, three aces from Moats and two aces from Cristina Colon, put EMU ahead 17-6.
• An EMU service error ended the Royals run, but they picked it right back up, ending the match on an 8-4 tilt, including two more aces from Felicity Jones and two more Bly kills, to finish out the sweep.

Statistical Leaders
Kills: Bly (10)
Assists: Mckenzie Taylor (13)
Digs: Moats (9)
Aces: Moats (6), Team (22)

What’s Next
EMU is off this weekend, and will return to action next Tuesday, when they head down to Lexington to take on defending ODAC Champion, Washington and Lee. First serve against the Generals is set for 6:30 pm.

— EMU Athletics —