WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Women's volleyball began day two of the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach with a morning match against American International College on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets defeated the Lions in four sets, 3-1, moving Emmanuel's record to 1-5.

The first set saw the Yellow Jackets gain an early lead, 11-6. However, a timeout from Coach Friddle allowed the Lions to gather themselves and they rallied to eventually tie the score, 17-17. But another run from AIC gave them the lead once again as they scored 5 consecutive points to lead 22-17. After another timeout from Coach Friddle, the Lions fought to remain in the set. But they could only muster one more point as the Yellow Jackets took the set, 25-18. 

With Emmanuel leading 7-6 early in the second, they started to swing the momentum in their direction. Four straight points increased their lead to five, 11-6. A string of kills for the Lions and errors from the Yellow Jackets lead to Emmanuel rolling to their largest lead of the seat, 18-10. AIC proceeded to take a timeout and follow it with back to back points. However, two consecutive kills by senior Taylor Roberts gave the Lions an eight point lead once again, 20-12. The Yellow Jackets got to 16, but kills from senior Aleksandra Hamuda and sophomore Alaina Emminger, along with a block by the Lions, led to Emmanuel taking the set, 25-16. 

The Yellow Jackets regained their footing in the third set, taking an 8-3 lead early on.  Following a timeout for the Lions, AIC increased their lead to nine, 12-3. The Lions proceeded to put together a 5-1 run, trying to crawl their way back into the set. However, the Yellow Jackets once again captured the momentum en route to taking the set, 25-14. 

The fourth set was the most evenly fought thus far as the Lions battled to send the match to a fifth set. Neither team was able to gain more than a two point advantage as they matched side out for side out. The even exchange continued until a kill from Emminger tied the score at 21. A pair of kills from AIC were followed by a kill from senior Mia Cotton and a block from Cotton and Roberts to tie the score at 23. However, two points from the Yellow Jackets gave them the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-1. 

Mia Cotton and Alaina Emminger led the way for the Lions with 12 kills each. Additionally, Cotton recorded 3 blocks and a hitting percentage of .296 along with a service ace. Aleksandra Hamuda followed with 11 kills, 4 digs, and a block. Libero Victoria Alexander finished with 15 digs. 

Next up, women's volleyball will conclude their tournament with a match against Lenoir-Ryhne at 4:30 PM this afternoon (Saturday, September 11). 

For more on Emmanuel College athletics, visit goeclions.com.