HARRISONBURG, Va. – EMU Women's Volleyball got one last chance to compete in front of their home fans Saturday afternoon, playing host to Hood College in Yoder Arena. The Royals battled back and forth with the Blazers but ultimately dropped their 2026 season finale in five sets (25-11, 23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 9-15).
Records: EMU 9-16, 4-8 ODAC | Hood 6-22, 3-5 MAC Commonwealth
Highlights
- The Royals roared out of the gates by dominating the opening set. Felicity Jones got things started with a service ace on the opening point of the match. Then, with Hood up 2-1, EMU went on a 10-0 run that included kills from Lindsay Bly and Logan Turchetta. The visiting Blazers got no closer than six points the rest of the first set as the Royals clinched the set victory with an Emerson Moats service ace.
- The Blazers flipped the script on the Royals in set two, winning four of the first five points. At one point down 18-10, EMU mustered a rally of eight unanswered points to tie the set at 18-18. The streak included kills from Bly and Emma Greer as well as two aces by Ekaterina Smagily. But Hood made a few plays than EMU down the stretch to even the match at one set apiece.
- EMU responded with a strong start to set three, getting out to a 4-1 lead. The Royals ultimately never trailed in the third set, staving off a late Hood rally to go up two sets to one.
- Keeping with the back and forth nature of the match, it was the Blazers who began set four on a high note with a 3-0 lead. But then the Royals rattled off the next eight unanswered points. Moats excelled as the server with four aces during this stretch. However, Hood slowly but steadily clawed their way back into the set, taking a 16-15 lead with a 4-0 rally. EMU then took the lead back with two consecutive kills from Turchetta. With the Royals up 18-17, Hood scored the next five points to go up 22-18. EMU got as close as one point, but it was ultimately Hood that forced a decisive fifth set.
- The two teams exchanged points at the beginning of the fifth set. EMU got within one at 6-5 on another kill by Greer. But then the Blazers scored five straight points to go up 11-5. The Royals would not go down without a fight, going on a 4-0 rally of their own, featuring two kills by Haley Atkins. However, it was all Hood from there with four points in a row to clinch the set and the match. Â
Statistical Leaders
Kills: Greer (15)
Assists:
Cristina Colon (21)
Digs: Moats (22)
Aces: Moats (5)
Blocks: Bly (5)
What's Next
The concludes the 2026 season for EMU Women's Volleyball. With Bly as the only graduating senior, the Royals will bring back plenty of experience as they look to move up in the ODAC in 2027. Â
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