Franklin Springs, GA – The Emmanuel Women's Volleyball team hosted UNC Pembroke tonight in conference play. Heading into the matchup, both teams sat at 6-4 overall, undefeated in conference action. The Braves jumped out to a 2-0 lead, taking the first two sets 25-23, 25-22. The Lions rallied to win the next two sets, 25-15, 25-19. The two teams battled in the final set, with the Lions having multiple chances to earn the win, but the Braves closed out the set strong to win it 16-14, taking the game 3-2. With the loss, the Lions fall to 6-5 on the season, 4-1 in conference play.

The first set started out with the Braves taking an early 3-0 lead. The Lions rallied to tie the set quickly, taking the lead on kills by Brooke Lee and Maruss Pesut to give the Lions a 8-5 advantage. Midway through the set, the Braves tied the set back up at 11-11 and led the rest of the way. The Lions kept things close getting within a point of the lead 24-23, but the Braves took the first set, 25-23. 

In the second set, the two teams traded points and the lead early. The Braves jumped out ahead, 15-12 but kills by Ellie Jackson and Natalie Wilson and Lee helped the Lions tie the set at 16-16. The Braves continued to make plays, retaking the lead and closing out the set strong, 25-22. 

The Lions rebounded well in the third set, jumping out to an early 9-4 lead on kills by Jackson, Wilson, Cailin Pritchard and Brianna Bigelow.  The Lions pushed their lead to 17-8 on a 8-1 run and led by as much as 10 points late, 22-12. A kill by Natalie Wilson and an attack error by the Braves closed out the set with the Lions taking it, 25-15. 
The fourth set saw the Braves take an early 5-2 lead. The Lions quickly tied it at 5-5 on a kill by Ellie Jackson and a bad set by the Braves. Errors by UNCP and a kill by Jackson made it 10-7 Emmanuel, but the Braves answered back to retake the lead, 12-11. The two teams traded big plays, with the Lions going on a 3-0 run to take a 16-13 lead on a kill by Pritchard. The Braves responded well, tying the set at 18-18. The Lions closed out the set strong on kills by Jackson, Wilson and Lee, and a service ace by Marusa Pesut to give the Lions the set, 25-19 to tie the game at 2 sets a piece. 

The fifth set was another battle. The teams traded points and the lead early, with the Lions jumping ahead, 8-6 on a kill by Pritchard. UNCP tied it up at 10-10, but kills by Jackson, Wilson and Isabella Reyes put the Lions up 14-11. The Lions had several chances to put the Braves away, but attack errors and a service ace by the Braves gave UNCP the 16-14 set five win and the game, 3-2. 

Overall, the Lions finished the night with 58 kills, 58 assists, 3 aces, 8 blocks and 81 digs. 

Ellie Jackson led the way with 20 kills on the night, with Natalie Wilson adding 14. Marusa Pesut had 42 assists and 2 aces on the afternoon, while Cailin Pritchard led the team in blocks with 3. Asia Queen contributed 28 digs on the night.

Next up, the Lions will host Erskine on Tuesday at 7PM. For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.