Sophomore right side hitter Sarah Maher attempts a spike. Maher put up 21 kils and 14 digs in the Eagles’ NCAA National Championship loss against Hope College (Mich.) yesterday. She and the Eagles finished the season with an overall record of 39-4. Courtesy of Emory Athletics.
By Zak Hudak
Sports Editor
The Emory volleyball team ended a season for the books yesterday afternoon with a nail-biting, five-set National Championship loss to Hope College (Mich.). The contest was the Eagles’ first National Championship Match appearance since 2008.
En route to the final match, the Eagles topped both Williams College (Mass.) and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 3-1 in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals and semifinals, respectfully.
“Going into these past two matches, we definitely expected to win,” sophomore right side hitter Sarah Maher said of the Eagle’s quarter and semifinal triumphs. “We knew they were not going to be easy matches by any means, but we were confident that we were prepared for them.”
The Hope match marked the 39-4 overall Eagles’ first loss since Oct. 18 and their seventh five set-long contest of the season.
The Eagles started the match strongly, holding the Hope Flying Dutch to a .154 attack percentage in the first set. A kill from senior All-Tournament Team member Leah Jacobs, brought the set to a 21-25 Emory win.
Despite being tied 18-18 and 19-19 in the second and third sets, the Flying Dutch pulled through for 25-21 and 25-22 wins, respectfully.
The fourth set looked like it would be the end for the Eagles, the Flying Dutch enjoying 10-5 and then 17-10 leads, but a wild Emory rally, in which Jacobs and Maher knocked out two and three kills respectfully, the Eagles again tied the score at 19-19. After a gut-wrenching moment of a 24-24 score, sophomore middle hitter Jessica Holler and a Hope hitting error gave the Eagles a 26-24 victory.
In the fifth deciding set, Hope held Emory to a .000 attack percentage, while boasting one of .467. After a 7-0 deficit, the Eagles battled the score to 10-7, but the Flying Dutch rallied to finish the set 15-8.
“I don’t think we’ve met a team that fought as hard as we did and that’s really what we came up against [with Hope],” senior outside hitter Leah Jacobs said in a post-game NCAA press conference uploaded by host Christopher Newport College (Va.). “It was just two of the best teams in the country fighting for whatever they can get.”
Overall, the Flying Dutch outhit the Eagles, topping their .195 attack percentage with one of .238 and making them only the second team to do so this season.
Without senior middle Cat McGrath, who caught the norovirus and was unable to play in the match, on the court, Maher took the offensive helm for the Eagles, bringing in a career-high 21 kills and career-tying 14 digs. Meanwhile Jacobs and Holler each provided the Eagles with 16 kills. Junior setter Sydney Miles, also a member of the All-Tournament team, put up a season-high 58 assists.
On defense, the Eagle’s held down the front, notching 98 digs, 30 of which were boasted by senior libero Kate Bowman, to Hope’s 87.
The match marked the last of a successful last season for seniors Jacobs, McGrath, Bowman and setter Olivia Volarich.
“As disappointed as I am about losing the match, I’m more disappointed that Cat [McGrath] didn’t get to play in her last match as a senior,” Head Coach Jenny McDowell said during the post-game press conference.
Although disappointed in the finish, McDowell could have not been more proud of her Eagles.
“I told them, I’ve never been so proud if a group,” she said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve never had so much fun coaching a team, because they’ve been through more than I could even list for you guys.”
Both the season and the careers of four seniors have come to as climatic and admirable an end as could have been imagined.
“I know every team goes through things, but it’s just been an honor and a privilege to coach this group,” McDowell said.
– By Zak Hudak, Sports Editor
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