HARRISONBURG, Va. (EMU Athletics) – Following a weekend out of state, the EMU Women’s Volleyball team got their first opportunity to play in front of the home fans on Tuesday, welcoming Wilson College into Yoder Arena for a matchup of their two teams seeking their first victory of the season.

Much to the delight of a lively home crowd, it was the Royals who picked up their first win of the campaign in a straight sets sweep of the Phoenix.

Records: EMU 1-2, 0-0 ODAC | Wilson College 0-3, 0-0 United East

Highlights

Set One: EMU 25, Wilson 23
• The Royals started strong by scoring the first four points, two of which came on service aces by Reese Fitton. However, Wilson countered by scoring seven of the next six of the next seven points to go up 6-5. Lindsay Bly tallied a kill from the right side to stop the Phoenix rally.
• From there, the opening set became a back-and-forth affair for a while with neither team creating much separation for a while. That changed when Wilson scored four straight points to go up 15-11 heading into the media timeout. The Phoenix continued their rally coming out of the timeout with three more points in a row to extend their lead to 18-11. Like before, Bly ended the run with a kill.
• At the 19-12 mark, the Royals began to stage a comeback with seven unanswered points that began with an Emma Rogers kill followed by three Wilson errors. Ella Ollet then nailed a service ace, Wilson committed another error and Emma Rogers registered a kill to tie the set at 19.
• The two teams traded points down the stretch before the Royals clinched the narrow set win on an attack error by the Phoenix. EMU ended the set on 12-4 run on the way to winning the opening set.

Set Two: EMU 25, Wilson 16
• Cristina Colon commenced the second set with a service ace as the Royals scored the first two points of set two and eventually staked themselves out to a 7-3 lead. The run included a kill by Jada Parker after a prolonged rally.
• A duo of kill from Rogers and Emma Greer pushed EMU out front 11-6. Wilson was then able to stay within roughly three to five points of the EMU, but the Royals took the 15-11 cushion into the second set media timeout thanks to another point from Rogers.
• The Phoenix got the first point out of the time out, but the Royals responded with a Greer kill followed by a set error from Wilson to make it a score of 17-12. After Wilson rattle off back-to-back points, EMU went on a 4-0 run, consisting of kills from Rogers and Fitton as well as a service ace by Rogers, prompting a Wilson timeout at the 21-14 mark.
• Hannah Hensley registered a kill out of the timeout to put EMU up 22-14. After a pair of kills by the Phoenix, the Royals closed out the set with a 3-0 run. Set two ended the way it started with a service ace from Colon.

Set Three: EMU 25, Wilson 22
• The two teams traded a point apiece to begin the fifth set. After the Royals got up 3-1, the Phoenix put up the next five points unanswered to go up 6-3. EMU battled back with three of the next four points to crawl back within one at 7-6. After a Phoenix point, the Royals utilized a Parker kill and a Wilson error to tie the third set at 8-8.
• With the set score knotted again at 9-9, Rogers registered back-to-back service aces as the Royals went up 12-9, but the Phoenix quickly erased the deficit to tie things up once again at 12-12, prompting Head Coach Casey Steinbrecher to call an EMU timeout.
• The Royals roared out of the timeout on a 4-0 run with contributions from Hensley, Bly, and Colon. But again the Phoenix had an answer by tallying three consecutive points of their own to get back within one, 16-15. At the 17-16 mark, a kill by Parker and an error by Wilson pushed the Royals to a 19-16 lead as Wilson called timeout.
• EMU took the next two points out of the timeout, but the pesky Phoenix scored the next two points in response. Bly banged home a kill and then an error from each team made it EMU 23, Wilson 19 as the visitors called their second and final timeout of the set.
• The Phoenix flew to within two, but EMU took advantage of mistakes by Wilson down the stretch to seal the set and the match.

Statistical Leaders
Kills: Bly (7), Parker (6), Rogers (6)
Assists: Colon (15), Ella Ollet (13)
Digs: Emerson Moats (15)
Aces: Colon (4), Rogers (4)

What’s Next
The Royals will load up the bus for two neutral site matches at the University of Lynchburg this Saturday, Sept. 12. The Royals will take on Geneva College (PA) at 2:00 pm., followed by a showdown with Mary Baldwin at 6:00 pm in Turner Gymnasium.

— EMU Athletics —