Franklin Springs, GA – The Emmanuel Women's Volleyball team hosted Anderson University this afternoon in regional play. The Lions got off to a hot start, taking the first two sets 25-22, 25-17. The Trojans rallied to win the final three sets, 25-21, 26-24, 15-12 to earn the reverse sweep, 3-2. With the loss, the Lions fall to 4-4 on the season.

Anderson jumped out to an early 4-2 lead in the first set, but the Lions responded with service aces by Sami Gambill and Marusa Pesut and kills by Brianna Bigelow, Ellie Jackson and Cailin Pritchard to take the lead, 7-6. The Lions continued to roar, scoring the next 5 points on kills by Natalie Wilson, Jackson, Bigelow, and another ace by Pesut to give the Lions a 12-6 lead. The two teams traded points and the lead until late, when kills by Wilson, Jackson and an ace by Isabel Miller gave the Lions the lead for good, 25-22 to earn the set one win. 

The Lions carried their momentum into set two, taking an early 8-3 lead on kills by Jackson and Pesut. Pesut continued to stay strong from the service line with two consecutive aces to push the Lions lead to 13-5. Anderson scored the next five points to cut the Lions lead to 13-10, but a 5-0 run by the Lions made up of kills by Skye Graham and Pritchard pushed the Lions lead to 19-11. The Trojans kept it close, but a kill by Natalie Wilson gave the Lions the set, 25-17.

Set three saw the Trojans take an early 5-2 lead. Kills by Graham and Jackson put the Lions on top, 7-6 and the two teams traded plays until midway through the set. A 4-0 run by Anderson gave the Trojans a 18-14 lead and although the Lions would get within two points of the lead, Anderson held on to take set three, 25-21. 

Set four was just as competitive. Anderson jumped out to an early 10-3 lead, but the Lions roared back with kills by Brooke Lee and Pritchard along with an ace by Isabel Miller to tie the set at 11-11. The Lions took the lead, 15-14 on a kill by Jackson and led until late in the set, 24-21 but the Trojans answered by scoring the final five points to take the set, 26-24. 

The fifth set saw several ties and lead changes early. The Trojans pulled away with a 4-0 run to take a 9-6 lead, but the Lions responded with a run of their own to cut the lead to 9-8. Anderson scored the next three points to take a 13-9 lead, but the Lions answered with a 3-0 run to make it 13-12. The Trojans responded, scoring the final to points to complete the reverse sweep, taking the set 15-12 and the game 3-2. 

Overall, the Lions had 64 kills, 13 aces, 7 blocks, 62 assists, and 68 digs.