The Emory volleyball team battled to a pair of three-set Friday wins at the Woodruff PE Center, opening with a decision over Otterbein (25-20, 25-16, 25-22) before posting a 25-19, 25-17, 25-22 verdict over No. 25 Berry.  The Eagles have won their last four outings and stand 5-1 on the young season.

Freshman Tara Martin led a balanced attack against the Cardinals of Otterbein, registering a team-high nine kills and hitting .421 (9-1—19). Senior Karissa Dzurik added seven terminations and four block assists while sophomore Leah Saunders chipped in five successful attack attempts.  Emory closed out the contest hitting .217 (34-11—106) compared to Otterbein's mark of .089 (39-27—135).  The junior tandem of Elyse Thompson and Maureen Schick figured prominently in helping stymie the Cardinals' attack by totaling 16 and 12 digs, respectively.  Sophomores Maggie Rimmel and Finn Wilkins were dominant defensive forces at the net with Rimmel finishing with a career-high eight (1-7) total blocks while Wilkins added six (1-5).  Emory enjoyed a 14-5 bulge in total blocks.

In a battle of two of the South Region's top programs, Emory held the advantage in hitting percentage for the sixth time this year, checking in at .198 (41-18—116) vs. Berry's .150 (28-12—107).  Junior Morgan McKnight led all players with 12 kills, her third double-figure outing of the year, while Dzurik added 11 terminations to go along with a hitting performance of .304.  Senior Sydney Leimbach and Saunders each contributed seven kills with Leimbach adding three (2-1) total blocks. Thompson aided in Emory's 60-49 edge with a season-high 22 digs while Schick was next up with nine. Senior setter Mady Arles ran the Emory offense to the tune of 29 assists while adding two service aces and five digs.

No. 8-ranked Emory continues play in its National Tournament on Saturday with a 1:30 pm match vs. Whitworth followed by a 4:00 pm bout against Tufts.