HARRISONBURG, Va. - EMU Men's Volleyball played its second ODAC home match in as many days on Wednesday, but this one had a little extra meaning to it. That's because it was the inaugural men's volleyball match of the long-standing Route 42 Rivalry with Bridgewater College.
 
The Royals took the first two sets, dropped the third set to the Eagles, but then bounced back to win the fourth set and the match to remained undefeated in ODAC play.

Records: EMU 8-6, 4-0 ODAC | Bridgewater 3-14, 1-4 ODAC

Highlights

Set One: EMU 25, Bridgewater 20

• The two teams traded points early in the set before the Royals went on a 4-0 rally, spearheaded by back-to-back by Daeman Odom.
• Bridgewater kept the set close, staying with a couple of EMU until the 22-20 mark. At that points, the Royals took advantage of a couple Bridgewater errors before Ezekiel Awkward got the set-clinching kill.

Set Two: EMU 25, Bridgewater 13

• Set two proved to be much decisively in favor of the Royals. At first, the Eagles stay neck-and-neck with the EMU, keeping it tied at 7-7.
• EMU took seven of the next nine points to create separation. Pierce Donnelly, Jose Melendez, Awkward contributed kills to the sequence, and Powell chipped in a service ace.
• After two Bridgewater points, the Royals closed the set by scoring 11 of the next 13 points. Odom served the final five points of the set, getting an ace on one of them. Back-to-back Bridgewater errors gave EMU the set two win.

Set Three: Bridgewater 26, EMU 24

• The Royals took an early 6-2 advantage in set three, but Bridgewater closed the gap to stay in contention.
• EMU had match point opportunities at 24-22, but the Eagles took four straight points with their backs against the wall to force a fourth set.

Set Four: EMU 25, Bridgewater 20

• Set four started out back-and-forth between the two crosstown rivals, with neither able to get a lead of more than two points.
• With the set score tied at 13, EMU assumed control with three straight points, including a service ace from Ricardo Fernandez.
• Bridgewater stayed within arm's length of the Royals, but at 18-16, EMU went another three point streak, which started with a kill from Diaz, to go up 21-16.
• The Royals closed out the set and the match with kills from Powell and Melendez, followed by the last two kills by Awkward to beat the Eagles.  

Statistical Leaders
Kills: Melendez (10), Powell (10)
Assists: Fernandez (18)
Digs: Rey De La Cruz (10)
Blocks: Odom (4), Diaz (3), Powell (3)
Service Aces: Powell (2)

What's Next
The Royals will hit the road for a tri-match in Ashland, Va., this Saturday, Feb. 28. It begins at 1 p.m. with a critical ODAC matchup against defending conference champion Randolph Macon, following by a 3:30 p.m. match against nationally-ranked Messiah.  

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