SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - After a weekend at home, EMU hit the road again on Friday, this time taking a weekend trip to the Buckeye state for the Springfield MVB Showcase, hosted by Wittenberg. 

There was no love in the air for EMU on Friday, as Wittenberg took down EMU 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-20) to open the weekend. 

Records: EMU 5-5, 3-0 ODAC | Wittenberg 10-6, 0-0 MCVL

Highlights
 
Set One – EMU 25, Wittenberg 23

• Wittenberg took a one-point lead, 5-4, through the first nine points. EMU responded with three straight off three Tiger errors, for a 7-5 lead.
• The teams traded points to Wittenberg taking a 13-12 lead, but the Royals responded once again, this time with a 4-1 run, picking up a pair of kills from Andre Mills, for a 16-14 lead.
• Wittenberg would tie things at 16 and 17, before EMU went on another 4-1 run, this time picking up points from two errors, a Mills kill and a Jose Melendez ace. The Tigers responded with a run of their own, 5-1, to take a 23-22 lead. EMU, however, closed out the set by winning the final three points, using an error, a Daeman Odom kill and an Odom ace, for a 1-0 lead.

Set Two – Wittenberg 25, EMU 22

• The Royals started out on top 4-2 in the second, with two kills from Ezekiel Awkward and a block from Odom and Ricardo Fernandez Perez. The teams would trade points to 10-10, before Wittenberg picked up three straight points to take a three-point lead.
• EMU battled back and tied the match at 15, but WU responded once again, pulling ahead 18-15 and forcing an EMU timeout. Out of the break, the Tigers were able to maintain a 3-4 point lead, pushing ahead 23-20, with the Royals taking their second timeout.
• This time out of the break, EMU pulled to within one, 23-22, with a kill from Mills and a block from Melendez and Mills. Wittenberg was able to even the match, however, with a kill and a Royals error, to take the set.

Set Three – Wittenberg 25, EMU 22

• This time it was Wittenberg who came out firing, taking a 12-5 lead to start the third set. They pushed it to as many as eight, leading 16-8, 17-9 and 18-10.
• Late in the set, with WU leading 22-14, and looking like they were about to pull away, EMU went on an 8-2 tilt, with two kills from Mills, a kill and an ace from Bennett de Tenley and single kills each from Awkward and Fernandez Perez, to claw back into the set and trail by just two, 24-22. But a Tiger kill was able to push them over the edge and give Wittenberg a 2-1 match lead.

Set Four – Wittenberg 25, EMU 20

• Like set two, EMU started on top, this time 7-3, after four Tiger errors, an Odom block, a Mills kill and an Awkward ace. 
• Wittenberg was able to pull back within one after a 4-1 run, and the teams went back and forth with points, until a James Powell kill put EMU ahead by two, 10-8. The Tigers surged ahead with an 8-2 run, but once again, EMU clawed back in with a 4-1 run of their own, to trail 17-16. Unfortunately for the Royals, they'd only pick up four more points in the set, including two more kills from Powell, as WU picked up the win. 

Statistical Leaders
Mills: 15 kills, 5 blocks, 5 digs
Fernandez Perez: 21 assists, 9 digs, 2 kills
Rey De La Cruz: 13 digs, 8 assists

What's Next
EMU will continue their time on Ohio on Saturday, with two more matches in the Spring MVB Showcase. They'll take on Wisconsin-Lutheran at noon before finishing up with Illinois Tech at 2:30 pm. 

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