On a Jekyll-and-Hyde day, EMU's volleyball women ended on a high note, handily sweeping Ferrum to earn a split at a tri-match on their home court.  The Royals are 5-6 on the season, but slipped to 0-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference after a loss to Virginia Wesleyan in the morning.

Virginia Wesleyan 3, EMU 0
The day started with the important match, an ODAC date with the Marlins.  Things quickly went downhill for the Royals, giving up a 13-1 run to fall behind 21-9.  They answered with a 9-1 run to get within 22-18 before VWC dropped in the final three points.

The women stayed close early in the second before Virginia Wesleyan pulled away for a 25-17 decision.

Eastern Mennonite looked to extend the match with a 3-0 rally late in the third, grabbing a 20-17 lead.  But the Marlins rattled off eight unanswered points to close things out, 25-20.

Skyler Johnson (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) had an effective match, landing nine kills on just 18 swings, to go with 11 digs and two aces.  Jasmine Johnson (Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) had 21 set assists and 12 digs.

Libero Katie Miller (San Antonio, Tex./Brandeis) led all players with 16 digs.  Maria Yoder (Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) added a pair of aces.

EMU 3, Ferrum 0
Everything that went wrong for the women against Virginia Wesleyan seemed to go right against Ferrum, starting with the passing.

The Panthers, who were coming off a surprising four-set win over VWC, jumped to an early 7-3 lead before things turned around.  Eastern Mennonite scored seven straight to swing ahead 10-7, and the momentum never let up.

EMU won set one 25-18, closing on back-to-back aces from Jasmine Johnson.  The women closed set two on a 14-5 tear to again win 25-18.

The Royals scored the first three points in the third and never trailed, scoring the final five for a 25-16 clincher.

The defense keyed the sweep over Ferrum, led by six blocks and 54 digs.  Alena Yoder (Elkhart, Ind./Bethany Christian) made a number of big pickups and finished with a season best 15 digs.  Katie Miller added 10 digs.

Skyler Johnson added nine digs to go with her career high 11 kills, four aces and two blocks.  Middle Becca Hardy (Port Republic, Va./Eastern Mennonite) had a hand in five of the team's six blocks, including one solo stuff.  She also had eight kills.  Kait Miller (Sellersville, Pa./Christopher Dock) and Yoder each added six kills.  With the great passing, each of EMU's five hitters finished with a positive attack percentage.

Hoping to carry the momentum into their next match, the Royals wrap up a five-match home stand on Tuesday, hosting ODAC rival Randolph College.  Game time with the WildCats is 7:00pm.

Coach Carrie Bert talks about the difference a match can make in how a team plays: