The No. 1-ranked Emory University volleyball team suffered its first setbacks of the season this afternoon on the final day of play at the Emory National Invitational. No. 2 Calvin College gained a measure of revenge from an earlier defeat this year at the hands of Emory, posting a 3-1 decision  (25-17, 25-19, 18-25, 25-18) over the Eagles, before No. 10 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps rallied for a 3-2 verdict (21-25, 29-31, 25-20, 25-21, 15-7).  Emory now stands 12-2 on the season.

Calvin became the first opponent to outhit Emory on the year, registering a hitting percentage of .285 (59-16—151) compared to the Eagles' .167 (44-20—144).  The Knights finished with a slight edge in both digs (70-64) and total blocks (6-5).  Junior Sarah Maher led the Eagles with 12 kills while classmate Jessica Holler made the most of her attack opportunities, registering a season-high hitting percentage of .526 on the strength of 11 terminations with just one error in 19 attempts.  Senior Sydney Miles dished out 35 assists, which allowed her to move into the No. 2 spot on the program's all-time list in that category.  The loss to the Knights ended a 36-match home win streak for the Eagles.

Emory got off to a quick start against the Athenas of CMS, hitting a combined .387 (39-8—80) in building its 2-0 match lead.  However, the visitor's defense stifled the Eagles over the next three games, allowing Emory an attack percentage of just .101 (28-18—99) while countering with an effort of .239 (37-14—96) in rallying for the triumph. Also proving to be an obstacle for the Eagles were 14 service errors.  Holler continued her torrid play with a team-high .429 hitting mark, tying Kathryn Trinka for second-high on the squad with 15 terminations.  Holler also chipped in eight digs and three total blocks. Freshman Karissa Dzurik topped the team with a season-best 16 terminations, her sixth double-digit effort of the campaign, while Maher totaled 10 successful attack attempts. Miles racked a season-high 57 assists, her fourth-highest career output, while chipping in eight digs and four block assists. For the match, Emory hit .229 to .231 for CMS and was out dug by a 76-67 margin.    

Emory returns to action next Friday, Sept. 25, when it plays No. 3-ranked Christopher Newport on the campus of Washington and Lee.

EMORY NATIONAL INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Nicole Kerkhof – CMS
Caroline Dupont – Wash U
Maggie Kamp – Calvin
Sydney Miles – Emory
Michelle Lawrence – Cal Lutheran
Ellie Ezekiel – Franklin and Marshall