FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA – The Emmanuel Women's Volleyball team hosted Francis Marion University tonight in conference action. The Lions jumped out to an early lead, taking the first two sets 26-24, 26-24 but the Patriots rallied to take the third set, 25-14. The two teams traded points and the lead throughout set four, but the Lions closed out the set strong 27-25 to earn the win and take the game 3-1. With the win, the Lions improve to 11-5 on the season, 8-1 in conference play.
Francis Marion jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the first set but the Lions responded well to tie it at 3-3 on kills by
Ellie Jackson. The two teams traded points and the lead until the Lions pulled ahead on kills by
Natalie Wilson and an ace by
Marusa Pesut to make it 12-5, Lions. Francis Marion responded with an 8-0 run to tie the set at 12-12. There were multiple ties and lead changes the rest of the way, but the Lions scored the final two points of the set on an error by the Patriots and a kill by
Brooke Lee to take the first set, 26-24.
The second set saw the Lions jump out to a 5-1 advantage on kills by Lee and Wilson. The Patriots quickly tied the set at 5 and the two teams traded big plays and the lead until late in the set.
Brianna Bigelow and
Cailin Pritchard came up with big kills for the Lions, while
Marusa Pesut was strong from the service line with aces. Tied at 24-24, the Lions finished strong with kills from Wilson and Jackson to earn the 26-24 set two win.
The Patriots rallied in the third set, starting out strong with an early 9-4 lead. Francis Marion continued to play well, pushing their lead to 17-10 midway through the set, earning the win in set three, 25-14.
Set four was just as competitive, with both teams making plays early. The Patriots jumped ahead 9-6, but the Lions roared back to tie it at 14-14 on kills by Wilson and Jackson. The two teams traded points the rest of the way, with the Patriots pulling ahead, 23-21 late in the set. The Lions kept alive, tying the set at 24-24 on a kill by Pritchard and attack errors by the Patriots. The Lions finished strong with kills by Jackson to earn the set four win, 27-25 and hand the Patriots their first loss in conference, 4-1!
Overall, the Lions had 58 kills, 56 assists, 5 aces, 7 blocks and 75 digs.
Ellie Jackson led the Lions with 20 kills, while
Cailin Pritchard (12) and
Natalie Wilson (10) ended the night with double digit kills.
Asia Queen led the team in digs with 19, with Jackson (15),
Isabel Miller (15) and
Marusa Pesut (14) contributed double digits. With her 15 kills,
Ellie Jackson hit another career milestone, 1,000 career digs.
Marusa Pesut had 44 assists on the night, adding 3 aces and 2.5 blocks to lead the team in both areas.
Next up, the Lions will host Belmont Abbey College tomorrow at 1PM in the Shaw Athletic Center. For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.
