The No. 1-ranked Emory volleyball team saw its attempt at defending its University Athletic Association title come up short today as No. 3-ranked Washington University battled to come-from-behind decision in the showdown for the conference crown.  The Bears upped their overall record to 32-2 following a 3-2 triumph (21-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-7) over the Eagles, who saw a 20-match win streak come to an end while slipping to 32-3 on the year.

In a match that featured a total of 375 attack attempts and 168 digs, Wash U ended the contest with a slight edge in hitting percentage, recording a mark of .169 (58-25—194) compared to Emory's .156 (58-30—180), marking just the third time this year an opponent posted a higher attack percentage. The Eagles finished with an 88-80 advantage in total digs while WU held a 14-8 margin in total blocks.

Juniors Kathryn Trinka and Sarah Maher along with freshman Karissa Dzurik tied for team honors with 13 kills, with Dzurik leading the club with a .242 hitting percentage (13-5—33).  Maher recorded 13 digs on the afternoon for her 10^th double-double (kills/digs) this year.  Junior Jessica Holler rounded out the quartet of double-figure terminators with 12 kills to go along with her three total blocks. Senior setter Sydney Miles dished out 47 assists and contributed nine digs, while freshman Becky Breuer led all players with a season-high 29 digs, her seventh outing of 20 more this season which also tied for 12^th place on the program's single-match list. 

The first set was a defensive tug-of-war with neither team hitting over .100. The Eagles held a 22-18 lead following a kill by Holler before a 3-0 WU spurt sliced Emory's lead to 22-21. The Eagles then took advantage of a pair of hitting miscues by the Bears and a kill by Maher to claim the first set.  Emory was solid in the second set, turning in an attack percentage of .300 (15-3—40) vs. the Bears' .175 (13-6—40).  Four unanswered points by Emory put it ahead by a 15-11 count, but WU stayed within striking distance and trailed by just a 17-16 margin following a kill by Caroline Dupont. However, Emory closed the set on a flourish, outscoring WU by an 8-1 margin, with Dzurik and Holler coming through with a pair of kills in that stretch to take a 2-0 lead in the contest.

Emory got out of the blocks slowly in the third set as WU accounted for nine of the game's first 11 points. The Eagles responded with an 11-4 blitz, keyed by a pair of kills by Dzurik, to knot the score at 13-13, the first of five ties, the final coming at 18-18 following a kill by Maher. WU scored the next three points to take a 21-18 lead before back-to-back kills by Dzurik drew Emory to within one point.  An attack error by the Bears allowed Emory to stay within one point, down 22-21, but WU used a kill by Dupont and a pair of hitting errors by Emory to win the third set.  The Eagles appeared to be in control during the early stages of the fourth game with a serving ace by Miles giving them a 10-3 advantage.  Emory still lead by a 20-16 score following a termination by Dzurik, but a 5-0 WU charge put it ahead by a single digit. After a kill by Holler deadlocked the score at 22-22, WU captured the next two points before a service error kept Emory alive.  The Bears then used a kill by Nkiru Udenze to win the set and tie the match.

Wash U never trailed in the fifth and deciding set, bolting to a 7-2 lead, and not allowing Emory to get any closer than four points for the remainder of the game.  The Bears hit .292 (7-0—24) in the set while holding Emory to -.038.

Emory will now turn its attention to the NCAA D-III Tournament, which begins the weekend of Nov. 13-15.  The Eagles will hear as to their destination and opposition when the pairings for the Tournament are announced on Monday (Nov. 9) at 11:00 am on ncaa.com.