The No. 2-ranked Emory volleyball team opened its 2017 season with a hard-fought Friday evening win over Johns Hopkins University at the Wittenberg National Invitational in Springfield, Ohio.  The Eagles battled to a 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, decision over the Blue Jays who were also making their season debut.

In a defensive-oriented match, JHU held a slight .201 (53-22—154) to .194 (48-20—144) edge in hitting percentage while Emory posted a 75-73 advantage in digs.  Sophomore Morgan McKnight paced the Eagles with a dozen kills, her seventh career performance of double-figure terminations, and added 10 digs while junior Sydney Leimbach accounted for 10 successful attack attempts.  Sophomore Sara Carr and freshman Leah Saunders were next up on the team's score sheet with nine and eight kills, respectively.

Emory saw four players finish with double figures in digs, led by sophomore Elyse Thompson who registered a career-high 24. Sophomore Sarah Porter came through 12 digs to go along with 21 assists while junior Mady Arles chalked up 10 digs, 17 assists and a match-leading three service aces.

Emory returns to action on Saturday when it plays No. 11 Wittenberg at 10:00 am, followed by a 3:00 bout against Illinois Wesleyan.