HARRISONBURG, Va. - The EMU women's volleyball team opened the final week of the 2021 season facing off with ODAC-leading Washington and Lee. 

The Royals were able to keep the match close in the first and third sets but ultimately W&L remained undefeated in conference play with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-20) win over EMU. 

Highlights

• After W&L pulled out to a lead to start the match, EMU rallied behind kills from Heather Phelps and Lizzy Kirkton, along with a pair of Sierra McVey aces. With EMU ahead 5-3, the Generals scored five straight to take the lead. Washington and Lee was able to pick up a five point advantage at 13-8 but a Kirkton kill and a block from Phelps and Hutchinson cut the deficit to three. Unfortunately, the Royals wouldn't get any closer to three as anytime they seemed to rally, W&L would grab the momentum back. Late in the set, with W&L ahead 23-15, a pair of Hutchinson kills brought the Generals lead to six, but Washington and Lee would score two of the next three to take the first set. 
• Washington and Lee started out hot in the second set, jumping out to a 15-3 lead and forcing EMU to use both timeouts. Out of the second TO, the Royals were able to mount some offense, taking advantage of two Generals errors, along with kills from Sarah East, Hutchinson and Phelps and a Bethany Shultz ace to pull within eight at 10-18. But W&L used two 3-0 runs to put the set out of reach before an EMU error finished the set. 
• The Royals showed no signs of giving in in the third set, as they battled and led for a large portion of the frame. With W&L ahead by one, a kill from Kirkton, two from Hutchinson and a Megan Miller ace gave EMU a three point advantage, 10-7. The two teams traded points, with EMU holding a small lead, until, with the score knotted at 18, Washington and Lee used a 5-0 run to take a 23-18 lead. An EMU block and a Hutchinson kill cut the lead to three but W&L ended the match with two straight points to pick up the win. 
• Hutchinson led all scorers with 12 kills to go along with six digs. Kirkton narrowly missed a double-double, racking up nine kills and 14 digs. Miller, who reached her 600th of the season on Saturday, chipped in 27 assists to lead EMU. Shultz finished with seven digs from her libero spot. 

Words from Coach Steinbrecher

We put up a good fight in the third set and I was impressed with our defensive play. We had some good rallies against a well-coached W&L team. That match went longer than the scores indicate. Paris (Hutchinson) had another solid performance and we were impressed with Bethany (Shultz) stepping in and performing in the libero role. 

What's Next

EMU will wrap up the regular season on Friday against cross-town rival Bridgewater, starting at 7 pm. With a win, the Royals will secure the fourth seed in the upcoming ODAC tournament and will host the first round matchup. 

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