GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Royals Women's Volleyball team opened up the 2024 campaign on Saturday, making the trek to Pennsylvania to take on a pair of squads.

In the opener, the Royals were competitive in all four sets, taking the third, one, but ultimately fell to Elizabethtown 3-1 (22-25, 17-25, 25-16, 19-25). The second match saw the Royals fall in straight sets to the host Knights, 3-0 (14-25, 22-25, 17-25)

EMU vs Elizabethtown

Records: EMU 0-1, 0-0 ODAC | Elizabethtown 2-0, 0-0 Landmark

Highlights

Set One: ETown 25, EMU 22

• After ETown got out on top, Laney Cline picked up three straight kills and Madison Stockner added one, to put the Royals up 6-2.
• Elizabethtown answered with a 9-4 run, taking an 11-10 lead before back-to-back kills from Cline and Kassidy Meadows, put the Royals back on top, 12-11.
• With the set tied at 12, ETown went on a 10-1 tilt for a 22-13 lead, forcing EMU to take both timeouts. The Royals rallied, using kills from Stockner and Sophia Denby, two each from Stockner and Cline, a Karla Hostetter ace and a Kaitlyn Custis block, along with a couple of Blue Jay errors, to pull back within two, at 24-22. But an ETown kill wrapped up the set.

Set Two: ETown 25, EMU 17

• Two kills from Stockner, a Custis ace and a block from Cline and Stockner put EMU ahead 4-1 to start the second set.
• The Blue Jays chipped away and took the lead, extending their lead to as many as six, 16-10 and 17-11.
• After an ETown run gave them a 20-13 lead, and the Royals took a timeout, EMU battled back, using kills from Meadows, Denby and Woolford to pull within five, 22-17. But the Blue Jays finished out the set, scoring the final three points to take a 2-0 lead.

Set Three: EMU 25, ETown 16

• The Royals came out on fire in the third set, taking a 10-1 lead off kills from Stockner, Woolford and Cline, along with two aces from Meadows and a block from Bly, Custis and Cline.  
• EMU continued to hold a double-digit lead, with Hostetter picking up a pair aces, for a 14-2 advantage.
• The Blue Jays were able to cut the Royals lead down to six, at 21-15, before EMU finished out the set on a 4-1 run, taking advantage of three ETown errors and a kill from Anna Black to finish out the set win.

Set Four: ETown 25, EMU 19

• Two kills from Stockner and three straight service aces from Custis, pushed EMU to a 6-1 lead to start the fourth set. Elizabethtown answered with a 7-0 run to take the one-point lead.
• The teams traded points to EMU holding a 12-11 lead, before the Blue Jays went on another run, this time 8-3, to take a 19-15 lead.
• An ETown error and a Woolford kill cut the Royals deficit to two, 19-17, but Elizabethtown scored four of the next five to extend their lead back to five.
• The Royals pulled back within four after a Blue Jay error, but an EMU error ended the set, with Elizabethtown escaping with the win.

Statistical Leaders
Cline: 14 kills, 2 blocks
Woolford: 11 kills, 15 digs
Custis: 26 assists, 13 digs, 4 aces, 2 blocks

EMU vs Arcadia

Records: EMU 0-2, 0-0 ODAC | Arcadia 2-1, 0-0 MAC Freedom

Highlights

Set One: Arcadia 25, EMU 14

• The Knights jumped on top early, taking an 8-3 lead through the first 11 points. EMU used a pair of service errors, two kills from Meadows and a block from Meadows and Hannah Kepler, to pull within four.
• A 4-1 tilt from Arcadia pushed their lead to seven before back-to-back errors pulled the Royals back to a five-point deficit.
• The Royals would only score three more points for the rest of the set, as Arcadia took the first set for a 1-0 lead.

Set Two: Arcadia 25, EMU 22

• AU once again pulled ahead, this time 5-3, before the Royals responded with a run of their own, 6-1, to take a 9-6 lead.
• The teams traded points to Arcadia leading 13-12, but a kill from Kepler and two from Meadows, along with a Knight service error, gave EMU a 16-14 advantage.
• Arcadia went on a 10-2 run to retake the lead, 24-18. But EMU would keep battling, as they scored four straight, including two Black service aces and a kill from Hannah Quero. But a Knights kill gave them a 2-0 lead.

Set Three: Arcadia 25, EMU 17

• The set started out back-and-forth, with neither team able to take much momentum. With the score tied at 5, AU went on a 7-2 run, for a 12-7 lead.
• EMU responded with four straight, picking up kills from Denby, a block from Kepler and Meadows and an ace from Quero, to cut the Knights lead to one.
• A 10-3 Arcadia turn gave them a 22-14 lead, before EMU cut into it with an AU service error and a kill from Kepler. A kill from Cline would be all the points EMU would be able to pick up, though, as Arcadia finished things out with a kill to take the match.

Statistical Leaders
Meadows: 7 kills, 5 digs, 2 blocks
Black: 18 digs, 2 aces
Taylor, Custis: 10 assists  

What's Next
EMU will be back on the court on Tuesday when they welcome in #22 Mary Washington to Yoder Arena. 

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