The No. 8 Eagles (34-4) returned to Emory as University Athletic Association (UAA) champions for the first time since 2014. The team emerged undefeated after three Championship games this weekend in St. Louis, Mo., beating New York University 3-0, Washington University in St. Louis 3-1 and Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) 3-0 to take home a UAA championship title for the seventh time in the program’s history.
Despite the 3-0 result of the championship game, the the two teams looked evenly matched at the start of the first set. It was a back-and-forth affair between the Eagles and Tartans, until late in the set when Emory overtook the momentum of the game and forced a 25-18 victory.
The second set of the match was more one sided with the Eagles maintaining a lead of between two and seven points at all times. The Tartans showed life in the middle of the set, going from 16-9 to 17-15. However, the Eagles retook momentum and finished the set 25-17.
The final set started off much like the first and the teams were tied through the first 18 points. Emory then pulled away and won the next nine out of 11 points to take a 18-11 lead. The Eagles then sealed the Championship with a 25-17 set victory.
Strong play on the Eagles’ side came from sophomore setter Mady Arles (17 assists); sophomore middle hitter Sydney Leimbach (seven kills); and freshman outside hitter Sara Carr (14 digs and .500 attack percentage). Meanwhile, junior setter Hannah Billings notched 18 assists in the finale against Carnegie Mellon.
For their final UAA visit, the team’s seniors — middle hitter Jessica Holler, right side Sarah Maher and outside hitter Kathryn Trinka — delivered. Holler ended with a total of 12 kills, Maher eight digs and Trinka 24 total attacks.
The winner of the UAA championship wins an automatic bid to the NCAA Division-III tournament. The Eagles will hear Nov. 7 on the NCAA D-III Selection Show which school they will face off against in the tournament.
