The No. 1-ranked Emory volleyball team got off to a good start
Friday evening in its NCAA Tournament Championship opener,
earning a 3-0 win over Piedmont College in the Atlanta, Georgia,
Regional which it is hosting. The Eagles of head coach Jenny
McDowell racked up its 15th straight win and raised its
overall record to 32-4 following a 25-15, 25-15, 25-18 victory over
the Lions who closed the curtain on their season with a 20-14
ledger.
Emory ended the contest hitting 31.2 percent (44-15—93), its
fourth straight outing of 30 percent or better, compared to
Piedmont’s .048 percent (21-17—83). The Eagles outdug
the visitors, 42-31, and chalked up four total blocks to the
Lions’ three.
Junior Jessica McAlvany turned in a big night for Emory, knocking
down a match-high 16 kills, tying her second-highest total of the
season, and hitting a solid 35.5 percent (16-5—31).
Sophomore Breanah Bourque rounded out the squad’s
double-digit players in that department, notching 10 terminations
en route to a 50.0 attack percentage (10-1—18). Bourque
also totaled four (1-3) total blocks. Junior setter Natalie
Schonefeld dished out 33 assists and tied for match honors with 11
digs.
The No. 8-seeded Piedmont club, making its second-ever NCAA
appearance, battled Emory on even terms during the early stages of
the first set and led by a 10-9 count. However, the Eagles
seized control of the game with a 9-1 burst, keyed by a pair of
kills each by Bourque and McAlvany, to go up by an 18-11
margin. Holding a 22-15 edge, Emory closed out the game
consecutive kills by junior Ali Wright, Schonefeld and senior
Amelia McCall.
Piedmont tallied the first three points of the second set and held
a 4-2 advantage before an 11-2 Emory run put the No. 1-seeded
Eagles up by a 13-6 count. From there, the closest the Lions
would get would be five points as Emory took a commanding 2-0 lead
in the match.
The third set was nip-and-tuck early on and Piedmont trailed by
only an 11-9 score following a kill by Heather Stafford, one of her
team-high nine for the match. The Eagles picked up the next
four points, capitalizing on three Lions’ attack errors and a
kill by McAlvany, to assume a 15-9 lead. Piedmont stayed
within striking distance, facing an 18-14 deficit before ran off
four straight points, capped off by a termination by McCall, bolt
to a 22-14 lead.
With the win, Emory advances to the Atlanta Regional
semifinal on Saturday where it will meet Washington & Lee in a
6:00 p.m. start.
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