Emory University opened the NCAA Atlanta Regional on a dominant note, rolling by Notre Dame of Maryland University in three sets (25-11, 25-10, 25-10) and in the process moved one step closer to capturing a second consecutive NCAA DIII National Championship. In addition, the Eagles continued their strong play on the home floor with the decsion over the Gators upping their season mark to 17-0.
Emory attacked with precision, finishing the night with a robust hitting percentage of .557, while forcing the Gators into 15 attack errors. Those errors equated to a .027 hitting percentage for the visitors.
The Eagles saw five different players contribute seven or more kills. Namely, Morgan McKnight had 10 kills and finished the night with a blistering hitting mark of .833 (10-0--12). Leah Saunders and Maggie Rimmel each finished with nine terminations and an attack percentage of .571, while Tara Martin and Finn Wilkins contributed eight and seven kills, respectively. Freshman Cassie Srb benefited from the efficiency of her hitters, as she totaled 38 assists in just three sets. Defensively, senior Elyse Thompson handled 13 digs and added a pair of kills.
Notre Dame leaned on a trio of seniors Friday night, as Kayleigh Davis notched nine kills, Mary Marquez dug up six balls, and Sarah Few recorded 13 assists. Freshman Ivanella Figueroa also picked up six digs in her postseason debut.
With the win, Emory, 30-2 on the year, is slated to take on Transylvania University in the 5:00 P.M. EST match, which will serve as the semifinal of the Atlanta Regional. Transylvania is coming off a 3-1 victory over Birmingham-Southern.