The No. 5-ranked Emory volleyball team opened its 2018 season with an impressive Friday evening win over Whittier College.  The Eagles topped the Poets, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19), in their opener at the Emory Classic while Whittier closed out the day at 1-1.

Junior Morgan McKnight led an efficient Emory attack, pounding out a career-high 17 kills while finishing with a keen .433 (17-4—30) hitting percentage.  McKnight also chipped in six digs and a pair of service aces.  Sophomore Leah Saunders rounded out the Eagles' double-figure terminators with 13 successful attack attempts en route to registering a hitting mark of .286 (13-5—28).  Junior libero Elyse Thompson headed up a strong defensive showing with a match-high 21 digs while Saunders was next up on the list with nine.  Senior setter Mady Arles doled out a career-high 41 digs in helping the Emory chalk up a .303 (49-16—109) hitting percentage.

Emory returns to action on Saturday when it tangles with Illinois Wesleyan at 12:30 pm, followed by the weekend finale against Covenant College starting at 5:00 pm.