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Lady Eagles Advance to MCCC Winner’s Bracket With Key Victory

Lady Eagles Advance to MCCC Winner’s Bracket With Key Victory

ANKENY, IA - The Emmaus volleyball team soared in Ankeny this afternoon with a first round win in the MCCC tournament.  The #4 Lady Eagles took on the #5 Lady Bears of Barclay College (Haviland, KS), who defeated Emmaus 3-1 two weeks ago.  "We knew it was going to take our best game today to beat Barclay, as they are a well-coached team with strong serving and net play," commented Coach Pitman.

Set one was an extremely tight affair, with both teams exchanging leads and staying within a few points of each other.  The Lady Eagles were able to make short runs at crucial moments and took the set 25-22.  Emmaus pushed harder in set two, gaining momentum and taking the set 25-16.  Set three was similar, as the Lady Eagles closed out the match with another 25-16 win.

"This is one of the best matches we have played all season," said Coach Pitman.  "We were well prepared and the ladies were able to carry out the specific goals we had for this game.  I was so happy with our response to the pressure and it was a great moment in the season."

Emmaus was led by Chelsea Smith, in her first game back from a five week absence due to injury.  Smith put down 8 kills and had 3 solo and 3 assisted blocks.  The rest of the offensive and defensive contributions were spread evenly throughout the team, as has been the case in many of the Lady Eagles strong victories this season.

After a short break, the Lady Eagles faced off against Manhattan Christian, the undefeated regular season champions and #1 seed in the tournament.  The Lady Thunder were relentless in their serving and offense and cruised to a three set victory over the Lady Eagles (13-25, 19-25, 13-25).  "We had moments of good play against Manhattan, but they are such a strong force that they kept us on our heels most of the match," commented Coach Pitman.  "The ladies played hard and that's all we can ask for against a team like this."

Emmaus is back in action tomorrow, playing for third place in the tournament against the host school, #3 seed Faith Baptist Bible College.  The two teams split their matches this season, with the home team taking home the victory each time.  The Lady Eagles take the court at 2:00 pm.