The No. 4-ranked Emory volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of the University Athletic Association Round Robin II in Saint Louis.
The Eagles saw their 12-match win streak snapped as the University of Chicago, ranked 19th nationally, came away with a 3-1 triumph (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23) in their first outing of the day before bouncing to claim a 3-0 decision (25-8, 25-11, 25-14) over Rochester. Emory stands 23-2 overall (4-1 in the UAA).
In the UC match, Emory finished with a .171 hitting percentage (52-24—164) compared to the Maroons' .163 (51-23—172). Head coach Jenny McDowell saw her Eagles post an 82-69 advantage in digs as well as an 8-5 margin in total blocks. Freshman Jessica Holler paced the Emory offensive effort with a season-high tying 15 kills en route to compiling an attack percentage of .393 (15-4—28). Junior Cat McGrath was the squad's most efficient hitter, totaling 10 successful attack attempts with just one error in 18 opportunities. Junior Kate Bowman rounded out the squad's double-figure terminators with 14 while chipping in 19 digs, her eighth double-double of the campaign. Sophomore Sydney Miles doled out 39 assists in the contest and added a team-leading five blocks (0-5). Taylor Erwin keyed the Eagles' defensive stand with 24 digs.
Emory regrouped quickly and pasted the Yellowjackets of UR with a .417 attack percentage (39-9—72) while holding its opponent to a -.066 effort (14-19—76). Four Eagles racked up six or more kills including sophomore Ashley Crawford who paced the squad with nine terminations, her second-highest mark of the season. Bowman totaled eight kills and finished with a fine .615 hitting percentage (8-0—13). McGrath and Holler each chipped in six successful attack attempts with Holler adding four blocks (1-3) and McGrath two (0-2). Miles accounted for 29 assists and added seven digs in the victory.
The Eagles close out the Round Robin on Sunday when they clash with Brandeis (9:00 a.m., CDT) before tackling No. 11 and host Washington University (1:00 p.m.).