Senior setter and right side hitter Carly Saitman attempts to tap the ball over the outstretched arms of Salem College (N.C.). The Eagles swept Salem 3-0 on Oct. 27 at the Emory Invitational. Forrest Martin/Senior Staff
The No. 8 Emory volleyball team closed the final home portion of the regular season with a solid showing at its National Invitational at the WoodPEC on Oct. 26 and 27.
The Eagles opened the tournament on Friday by sweeping both opponents. The team defeated Salem College (N.C.) 25-13, 25-7, 25-9 in their first match and wrapped up the day with a convincing 25-20, 25-21, 25-20 win over Randolph-Macon College (Va.). The victories raised the Eagles’ win streak to seven games and improved their overall record to 20-5.
On the second day of the invitational, the team opened up with another 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-5) sweep over Washington and Lee University (Va.). Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.) snapped the Eagles’ eight-game win streak in the final match, 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18), bringing Emory’s overall record to 21-6. The team seemed to come close to pulling ahead of Birmingham-Southern a couple times, but couldn’t preserve its lead.
Despite the loss against Birmingham-Southern, the Eagles maintained a characteristically high energy level that Leimbach says often gives the team an advantage.
“Our team has always been really high energy and that’s what tends to give us the edge when we’re playing,” Leimbach said. “It’s also just more fun to play that way, and we’re all really passionate about playing volleyball, and we have way more fun when we’re that energetic.”
McDowell said she is confident in her team heading into this weekend’s University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships.
“I feel like we are peaking at the exact right time,” McDowell said. “[The team has] worked really really hard this season in the weight room and on the court, and I feel like we’re in a fantastic position to be at our best these next three weeks.”
Prior to the match against Randolph-Macon on Friday, the team honored their six seniors (setter Mady Arles, defensive specialist Mila Barzdukas, libero Becky Breuer, outside hitter Karissa Dzurik, middle hitter Sydney Leimbach and right side hitter Carly Saitman) and their contributions to the program over the past four years.
“It’s amazing. What these six have done both on the court and off the court is a credit to every single one of them,” Head Coach Jenny McDowell said. “These six are committed to excellence both on and off the court, and they’ve made a huge impact in our program.”
The Eagles circle up before a match against Salem. Forrest Martin/Senior Staff
Leimbach says she is going to miss seeing her five fellow seniors everyday.
“The biggest thing for me is that I’m going to miss seeing them everyday and seeing the team everyday,” Leimbach said. “I love competing, so it will be really interesting not having that in my life, but I’m going to miss all the memories I’ve made with them.”
The Eagles return to action on Nov. 2 at noon against Brandeis University (Mass.) in the UAA Championship quarterfinals in Rochester, N.Y. Emory enters as the top-seeded team in the tournament, while Brandeis comes in seeded eighth.
Ryan Callahan (he/him) (22C) is from Richboro, Pennsylvania, majoring in philosophy, politics, and law. Callahan previously served as a managing editor, the Wheel's sports editor and is also the co-president of Emory's Pre-Law Society. He is currently an English tutor at Ringle, and previously interned for his state representative and district attorney. If he's not at Kaldi's, you can catch him complaining about the Sixers or replaying the Batman: Arkham games.
