Lady Eagles End Season with Strong Performance

The Emmaus volleyball team concluded their season today at the ACCA National Tournament in Joplin, MO.  The path to get to the final four led through Trinity Bible College (Ellendale, ND), and the Lady Lions were eager to avenge their previous loss to Emmaus.  Trinity jumped out to a large lead in set one, forcing Emmaus to play catchup for most of the set.  The Lady Eagles made a late run, and both teams traded set points several times.  In the end Trinity put the set away with a score of 29-31.  Emmaus was determined to not start with a deficit in set two, and was able to gain some much needed tempo on offense, resulting in a 25-17 victory.  In set three, both teams stayed within a few points of each other, with Emmaus making a run at the end to win 25-22.  The Lady Eagles did not want another five set match against Trinity, and were anxious to close the match in the fourth set.  Emmaus jumped to an early lead, but Trinity put up a strong fight and was offered 3 set points.  The Lady Eagles were able to stay true to their game plan, and after some very tense moments Emmaus prevailed with a 28-26 victory to end the match.

"This was truly a great match against a very strong team," said Coach Pitman.  "It was great to see a strong performance from the ladies on our last day of the season, and we are so proud of how they pulled together for the victory."

Emmaus hit a stellar .338 as a team for the match.  Chelsea Smith put down 16 kills and Molly Skoglund had 23 digs.  Hannah Bell contributed 35 assists.

The Lady Eagles then faced number one seeded Arlington Baptist College (Arlington, TX) in the semi-final match.  Arlington started with a quick tempo and heavy hitting and never looked back as they cruised to a three set victory (12-25, 14-25, 16-25).  "The ladies played hard and we did our best," said Coach Pitman.  "We had some sequences in the third set that were fun to watch and no one was ashamed of our performance against a worthy opponent."  The Lady Patriots went on to defeat Ozark in the championship match to defend their title as national champions.

The Lady Eagles end the 2015 season with a .500 record (14-14).  This season also marks the first time Emmaus has posted double digit wins since 2012.  The team was competitive in every match they played; Emmaus was only swept 3-0 five times this fall, and each time it was against a nationally ranked opponent.  The young team experienced a lot of growth, and the future looks bright for next season.