The Eastern Mennonite University women's volleyball team hosted the EMU Women's Volleyball Tournament at Yoder Arena opening up play on Friday, August 29 through Saturday, August 30. The Lady Royals went 2-0 in the second day of competition after dropping both matches on Friday.

"We were able to work through a few things from yesterday and get comfortable," commented EMU head coach Steve Benson. "The girls weren't as anxious or nervous out there and they made positive adjustments and work into a rythem on offense."

On the first day, the Royals struggled with some opening jitters losing both matches to ODAC foe Lynchburg and against Catholic. Against LC, the Lady Royals showed some great defense collecting six team blocks but it was not enough as the Hornets won in three sets (25-16, 25-19, 25-13).

Kathryn Taylor (Lynchburg, Va./Brookeville) and Monika Burkholder (Linville, Va./Eastern Mennonite) each recorded four kills while first year Christine Bottles (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) narrowly missed a double-double with nine assists and eight digs.

In the second match, EMU battled against the Cardinals from Catholic University of America dropping three close sets (25-17, 25-22, 25-17). Bottles would record her first double-double with 12 assists and 10 assists while also tallying two service aces. EMU produced a balance attack on offense with first year Hannah Artz leading the team with five kills.

Moving to day two for the tournament seemed bleak for the 0-2 Lady Royals as they would face an undefeated North Carolina Wesleyan team fresh off victories over the two opponents that beat EMU. The Battling Bishops would take set one 25-21 over EMU but then face a feisty Lady Royal team that swept the next three sets. EMU collected their first victory winning the last three sets 25-20, 25-22 and 25-23.

Three Lady Royals recorded double figure kills with Burkholder leading the way with 13 kills. Laura Stoltzfus (Parnell, Ia./Iowa Mennonite) and first year Nicole Ropp (Iowa City, Ia./Iowa Mennonite) each recorded 10 kills with Stoltzfus adding 12 digs. Jenny Blosser (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) led the way with 16 digs as Taylor aided the defense with eight blocks.

The Lady Royals put together a solid effort on both offense and defense to win their first match of the 2008 season in front of a roaring EMU crowd.

To finish the tournament play, the Royals would face Mary Baldwin who lost their three pool matches. Frostburg State won Pool B winning all three matches followed by Mary Washington (2-1) and Guilford (1-2).

The Lady Royals needed a hefty run in the first set to beat the Fighting Squirrels but having the pressures of losing the first two matches gone, EMU finished out the match sweeping all three sets (25-23, 25-5, 25-21).

Burkholder would lead the offense for EMU with 12 kills as the Lady Royals recorded just 12 hitting errors in the match. Nine service aces along with great orchestration from Bottles lifted the Lady Royals to 2-2 as they finished the tournament. First year Tabitha Bowman also recorded a spectacular day with nine kills and eight digs.

EMU will now host the Fighting Squirrels of Mary Baldwin for a rematch in Yoder Arena on Wednesday, September 3, at 6:30 p.m.