LEXINGTON, Va. – The Washington and Lee University Volleyball Team (9-4, 4-0 ODAC) remained perfect in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play Wednesday evening as it defeated Emory & Henry College (10-4, 1-2 ODAC), 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-23, 25-16) at the Warner Center.
The Wasps and Generals traded scoring runs early in the first set. Up 9-8, W&L went on a 8-1 run to take a 17-9 lead. Emory & Henry would score three straight points late in the set but it wouldn't be enough as Washington and Lee took the frame 25-16.
Emory & Henry came back to tie the match at one set apiece. The Wasps opened up at 5-0 advantage to start the set. W&L was able to claw its way back and took an 18-16 lead after an 8-3 run. The Wasps answered with a run of their own and scored six of the last nine points of the measure to win 26-24.
W&L made it 2-1 after winning the third set. The Generals got out to an 11-5 lead but the Wasps would close the gap to 12-10. Washington and Lee led by a 19-13 margin, but a 9-3 surge by Emory & Henry tied the score at 22. A pair of kills and a service ace in the final four points of the set proved to be the difference as W&L went on to win, 25-23.
The two teams traded points early in the fourth frame with the Generals taking a 13-8 lead. E&H went on a 5-1 run to close the gap to 14-13, but W&L scored 11 of the next 14 points to seal the 25-16 victory in the set and to take the match, 3-1.
M.A. Boles led Washington and Lee with a double-double (18 kills and 12 digs) and had a .357 hitting percentage (18-3-42) for the match. Katie Toomb, Rachel Guarisco and Taylor Maxey each had 10 kills in the contest. Alex Kinzer dished-out a match-high 48 assists while Maddie Kosar had 14 digs.
Emory & Henry saw three players reach double figures in kills, led by senior outside hitter Jamie Cockerham (Galax, Va.) with 12 kills and 14 digs to complete the double-double. The Boone, N.C. duo of junior middle Nicole Tesh and freshman outside hitter Hannah Stewart each had 11 kills. Junior libero Kelly Mae Kerlin (Franklin, Tenn.) led all players with 22 digs while sophomore setter Maleah Neely (Hillsville, Va.) had a team-high 41 assists.
Both teams had solid days attacking as Washington and Lee hit .324 (61-14-145) and Emory & Henry swung ad a .262 (48-15-126) clip. The Generals' serving helped win the day, as they had 13 aces.
Emory & Henry will return home on Saturday to face Shenandoah University. The Hornets are in their first season as a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m.
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