The No. 1-ranked Emory volleyball team bested No. 20 Cal
Lutheran in the title match of the Atlanta, Georgia, Regional on
Sunday, propelling the Eagles into the quarterfinals of the NCAA
Championships next weekend. Emory recorded its
17th straight win and raised their overall record to
34-4 following a 21-25, 25-20, 25-11, 22-25, 15-12 slugfest against
the Regals who saw their season end at 29-4.
Before an enthusiastic crowd at the Woodruff PE Center on the Emory
campus, the Eagles, the No. 1 seed in the regional, hit 20.4
percent (61-28—162) compared to the Regals’ 13.2
percent (51-28—174). In addition, Emory held a decisive
84-62 edge in digs along with an 8-4 edge in total blocks.
Cal Lutheran met Emory as the No. 2 seed.
Sophomore Breanah Bourque spearheaded a balanced offensive attack
with a match-high 17 kills, tying her second-highest total of the
season, while figuring as a force at the net as well with five
block assists. Bourque was named the Most Outstanding Player
of the Atlanta Regional. Senior Amelia McCall was next high
in kills, racking up 16 terminations with her 17 digs representing
her 17th double-double of the campaign. Rounding
out the squad’s double-figure terminators were junior Jessica
McAlvany and junior Ali Wright with 12 apiece. Junior Natalie
Schonefeld was precise and effective in her decision making, doling
out 54 assists and contributing 20 digs. Helping in the
defensive effort was freshman Molly Landers with 19 digs.
Schonefeld and McCall joined Borque as Emory representatives on the
all-regional team.
Cal Lutheran senior Allison Kerr continued her strong play for the
Regals and produced a team-high 16 kills on the night. Junior
Casy McWhirk picked up 13 kills and registered a team-high 17
digs. Both Kerr and McWhirk all were selected to the
all-regional team. Sophomore Jackie Russell dished out 36
assists in the losing effort.
In the decisive fifth set, Emory fell behind by a 5-3 margin
following a kill by CLU’s Rachel Smith. A couple of
kills by McAlavany and one by McCall sparked a 4-0 spurt that
pushed the Eagles ahead by a 7-5 count. The Regals countered
with three unanswered points to go ahead by an 8-7 margin before
Emory battled back to tie the game at 10-10. After the teams
exchanged points, the Eagles used back-to-back kills by McAlvany
and Bourque followed by a CLU attack error to take a 14-11
lead. The Regals staved off one match point before Bourque
sent the Eagles into next week’s championship round with a
kill.
Next up for Emory will be a quarterfinal match against No. 5-ranked
Christopher Newport (38-2) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (EST).
Serving as the host for the NCAA quarterfinal, semifinal and
championships will be Washington University in Saint Louis.
Emory Volleyball Wins Five-Set Nailbiter vs. Cal Lutheran -- Advances To NCAA Quarterfinals
Posted: Nov 14, 2010