EMU's volleyball women wrapped up a busy weekend at home on a positive note, beating Lancaster Bible College in four to snap a six-match losing skid. Now 6-7 on the year, the Royals are also 0-3 in ODAC play after a loss to Shenandoah University to start the day.

The women will be looking for their first conference win Wednesday night when they host Hollins. Game time in Yoder Arena is 7:00pm.

Shenandoah 3, EMU 0
The tight loss to SU was particularly painful, as the women missed a good opportunity to steal a win from a team picked higher than them in the preseason poll. Despite the sweep, the combined margin of victory was only eight points. Shenandoah was picked No. 6 in the ODAC's preseason poll, while the Royals were tabbed No. 10.

The Hornets opened a three-point margin early in the first set and nudged it to as big as five at 21-16. EMU answered with a 5-1 run, getting within 22-21, but the visitors had enough to get by, 25-22.

The second saw a similar pattern, with SU holding a slim margin until a late push earned another 25-22 margin.

Eastern Mennonite made a couple of adjustments in the third and surged to a quick 5-1 lead. The offense was clicking, as the women landed five kills during a 6-0 run to open a lead of 17-9, which was the biggest of the match for either team.

But SU made a move and got within 19-17. After a pair of Royals points, the home team made a handful of costly mistakes, allowing Shenandoah to rattle off seven straight points to flip ahead 24-21. The women scored twice but couldn't stop the Hornets from winning 25-23.

Becca Hardy (Port Republic, Va./Eastern Mennonite) had a great effort, finishing with 10 kills and six blocks, including two solo. Maria Yoder (Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) added eight kills and setter Jasmine Johnson (Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) had 18 assists. Kait Miller (Sellersville, Pa./Christopher Dock) put a hand on three blocks.

Libero Skyler Johnson (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) had a match high 21 digs.

SU's Kaitlyn Kelley led all players with 14 kills.

EMU 3, Lancaster Bible 1
The Royals made the move from a 6-2 offense to a 5-1 against LBC, and the women responded. They hit .333 in the first set, scoring the first four points and never letting up on the gas. Yoder closed a 25-11 win with three straight service aces.

The Chargers scored the first two points of the second, but EMU put in the next three and never fell behind. They led by as many as nine before Yoder again closed the set, this time with back-to-back kills. The final was 25-17.

Lancaster Bible regrouped in the third, jumping to a 10-3 lead. The women clawed back to within 18-16, but would get no closer than two points in a 25-20 setback.

Suddenly with some momentum in the fourth, LBC grabbed a 5-2 lead. A 5-0 run put the Royals back in front at 9-7, and they kept the small margin most of the set. The Chargers pushed back to a 23-23 tie, but Janna Williams (Kenbridge, Va./Kenston Forest) closed the door with a kill, giving EMU a 25-23 clincher.

Yoder had the best match of her season with 14 kills, four aces and seven digs. She hit .650, making just one error in 20 total attacks. Williams also racked up 14 kill, tying her career high. Meredith Stinnette (Lynch Station, Va./Altavista) had 11 kills for her first double digit effort in college. Jasmine Johnson responded as the sole setter, dishing out 44 assists to average 11.0 per set. She also had 12 digs.

Skyler Johnson had a match high 16 digs.

Alyssa Bowen topped LBC with 11 kills. Emily Olsen had seven kills and six blocks.

Coach Carrie Bert knows her team can improve but was happy to stop the losing streak: