FERRUM, VA – The Emmanuel Women's Volleyball team hit the road this weekend with their first stop in Ferrum, VA for a matchup against Ferrum College in conference action. The Panthers took the first set in extra points, 26-24 but the Lions rallied to win the final three sets, 25-17, 25-23,25-23 to earn the four-set win, 3-1. With the win, the Lions improve to 9-6 on the season, 5-2 in conference play.
The Panthers jumped out to a 9-2 lead. The Lions responded with key plays by
Ellie Jackson,
Brooke Lee, and
Lilli Redifer to tie the set at 12-12. Kills by
Cailin Pritchard and Jackson gave the Lions the 14-12 lead midway through the set. Ferrum responded to retake the lead, 19-16, but an ace by
Marusa Pesut and a kill from
Brianna Bigelow helped the Lions knot the set at 19-19. The teams traded points and the lead until late, where the Panthers scored the final two points to take set one, 26-24.
The Lions opened the second set with a 6-3 lead, with kills from
Natalie Wilson and
Paige Hill. A 6-1 run by the Lions made up of kills by Hill, Wilson, and Pritchard pushed Emmanuel's lead to 16-7 midway through the set. With the Lions up 22-13 late, Ferrum went on a 3-0 run to make it 22-16, but the Lions used kills by Jackson and Hill to close the set with a win, 25-17.
In the third set, Ferrum took an early 5-4 lead but a 4-0 run by the Lions with kills from Pritchard, Hill, and
Jada Porter gave the Lions the 8-5 lead. The Lions pulled ahead 17-12 midway through the set, but a 4-0 run by the Panthers cut the Emmanuel lead to a point, 17-16. Kills from Porter and Hill put the Lions ahead, 23-17 late in the set, but a 6-1 run from the Panthers kept things close, 24-23 Lions. A kill by Wilson put the set away, 25-23.
The fourth set saw the teams trade points and the lead early. A 5-0 run by Ferrum put the Panthers up, 10-6. Kills by Porter and Jackson cut the Ferrum lead to a point midway through the set, 14-13. With the Panthers up 17-14, the Lions used a 3-0 run to tie the set at 17 all. Late in the set, Ferrum led 21-20 but the Lions used a 3-0 run with kills by Porter and Wilson to take a 23-21 lead. Kills from Wilson and Jackson pushed the Lions ahead to earn the set four win, 25-23 and the game, 3-1.
Overall, the Lions had 63 kills, 7 aces, a block, 58 assists, and 72 digs.
Three Lions ended the night in double figure kills, with
Ellie Jackson leading the way with 14.
Natalie Wilson (13) and
Cailin Pritchard (11) closed out the leading Lions.
Lilli Redifer ended the night with 3 aces, while
Cailin Pritchard and
Marusa Pesut each had a block. Pesut led the team with 48 assists, while
Isabel Miller picked up 22 digs.
The Lions will be back in action tomorrow at Lees McRae for a conference match at 11AM.
For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.
