Emmaus Sweeps Season Opener

IRONWOOD, MI – The Lady Eagles put forth a strong effort in their first match of the season as they downed the Lady Samsons of Gogebic 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 29-27).  Both teams showed early season jitters in set one, but Emmaus settled into a groove and were able to string together some runs to control the first and second sets.  The Lady Samsons found new life in set three, and the game went back in forth with many tie scores.  Emmaus stuck to their plan of consistent aggressiveness and it paid off as a kill and block ended the match in the Lady Eagles favor.

"Coach Ruter and I stressed to the team that tonight and the rest of the weekend is not about the scoreboard, and we really mean it," said Coach Pitman.  "I am not taking anything away from our victory, because the ladies earned it, but at this point in the season we are most concerned with attitude, unity, and execution of our system.  We are dealing with injuries, illness, and have new players in new positions, so we are very proud of how we performed tonight."

Gogebic challenged the Lady Eagles greatly at the net as they utilized their big block and strong hitters, but Emmaus controlled the match with their dominant defensive play.  "We won the match tonight on passing.  It may not be the most exciting element of volleyball, but it is essential that we keep playing a controlled system to the best of our ability.  I expect Gogebic to bring a full attack again tomorrow and I am sure it will be a tough battle," commented Coach Pitman.

Hannah Bell led the offense with 20 assists and 14 kills.  Savannah Petersen, moved into the outside hitter position due to injuries on the squad, contributed 9 kills, while Elizabeth Brame added 6.  Vivienne Yates had 17 digs as she wore the Libero jersey for the first time.

Emmaus takes on Gogebic again at 10:30 am tomorrow morning, followed by a matchup with another NJCAA school, Dakota County Tech.