The No. 5-ranked Emory volleyball team enjoyed a productive opening day at the University Athletic Association Round Robin 1 on Saturday, earning two wins that boosted its overall record to 9-2.  The Eagles topped Case Western Reserve in a five-set battle (25-19, 21-25, 25-13, 16-25, 15-8) and followed that affair with a sweep of Brandeis University (25-19, 25-14, 25-14).

Emory had three players post double-figure kills in the CWRU contest, led by freshman Alana Dawson who banged away for a season-high 17 terminations en route to a solid .333 (17-7—30) hitting mark.  Senior Tara Martin notched her third double-double of the year, putting down 16 kills while contributing 15 digs.  Freshman Lily Martin rounded out the trio with 10 successful attack attempts.  Junior Cassie Srb crafted 51 assists to go along with her 11 digs and three block assists. Freshman Deborah Hong registered her second straight six-ace outing, helping the team to a 15-11 edge in that category.  In the decisive fifth game, a kill by the Spartans' Gianna Lambert left the Eagles with a 6-5 lead.  Emory then responded with five unanswered points, keyed by a pair of kills by Tara Martin along with a kill and ace by Srb, to lay claim to an 11-5 cushion.  After a CWRU point, Emory responded three straight, two points coming from Dawson kills, to take command of the set at 14-6.

Nine different players accounted for kills in the Brandeis affair with Lily Martin leading the brigade with a dozen.  Martin, who hit a keen .429 (12-3—21), has chalked up 10 or more kills in her last five and in a total of six matches this year.  Freshman Jessica Majka closed out the contest with eight kills, a hitting effort of .294 (8-3—17) and six digs, while freshmen Madison Cail and Maya Roberts Burbank each dialed up five kills.  The Eagles hit .297 (41-14—91) compared to the Judges' .075 (25-18—93).  Emory held a 45-33 lead in digs, with Hong leading the team with 11, while BU captured a 7-2 bulge in total blocks.

Emory closes out the Round Robin on Sunday when it tangles with Carnegie Mellon in a scheduled 1:00 pm (EDT) start.