FERRUM, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Volleyball Team (1-0) picked up a 3-0 (26-24, 26-24, 25-22) win over Ferrum College (0-1) Friday evening at Swartz Gym. The victory makes it 10 straight years that the Wasps have opened the season with a win.

In what was one of the most competitive contests in recent memory between Emory & Henry and Ferrum, neither team ever declared dominance as the match featured 23 ties and 14 lead changes over the three sets.

Sophomore outside hitter Tristen Pennington (Kingsport, Tenn.) led all players with eight kills and added six digs and three service aces for E&H. Sophomores Kennady Thomason (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Hannah Doss (Meadowview, Va.) and Allie Evans (Frisco, Texas) each had five kills for the Wasps with Thomason adding a match-high three blocks and Doss notching a team-best seven digs.

E&H senior setter Maleah Neely (Hillsville, Va.) dished out 17 assists and also registered seven digs and three kills while sophomore libero Emily Hinshaw (Boone, N.C.) recorded six digs of her own.

Ferrum was led by Ashley Ammann's seven kills and two aces while Jordan Link chipped in four kills as well. Hannah Blake had 10 assists and two aces while Sarah Hendrix was credited with a match-high 17 digs.

Both squads struggled on the attack in their first time out this season with Emory & Henry holding a .105 (29-20-86) to .013 (22-21-77) advantage. The Wasps had a total of five service aces but were plagued with 13 errors while the Panthers managed four aces to 12 errors on their serves. FC out-blocked E&H by a 5-3 margin in the match.

Emory & Henry remains on the road on Saturday when it travels to Danville, Va., to play in Averett University's Cougar Classic. The Wasps will face Guilford College in a non-conference matchup at 1:00 p.m. and will take on host Averett University at 7:00 p.m.

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-photo courtesy of Steve Reedy