Lady Eagles Split Opening Weekend Matches

OVERLAND PARK, KS - The Emmaus Eagles made the long trek to Kansas to open their season, returning with a victory against hosts Kansas Christian College and a loss against Haskell Indian Nations University.

Nerves were clearly apparent in the first set against KCC, as every player made either their collegiate starting debut or assumed a new position on the court.  The Lady Eagles quickly found themselves flustered as the Lady Falcons grabbed a 7-1 lead.  After taking a time out, Emmaus regained some composure and was able to fight through the rest of the set to earn a 25-22 victory.  Sets two and three saw the Lady Eagles adjust their rotations and play with more settled nerves, taking the match with scores of 25-11 and 25-14.  Every team member saw time on the floor in the debut.

Forty minutes later Emmaus faced the task of taking on Haskell, a team who returns as the defending Aii Conference Champions, and was an NAIA National Tournament qualifier last season.  Haskell made short work of the Lady Eagles with their fast pace and large presence at the net.  Emmaus fell by scores of 16-25, 8-25, 14-25.

However, as the team gathered after the match, the words spoken were ones of positivity and pride.  "Our team is very positive and cares for each other, and it was great to see that manifest on the court this weekend," commented Coach Pitman.  "Our goal for the first part of the season is simply to see what we have as strengths and weaknesses, and that was a goal that the players set for themselves.  We got a lot of good information this weekend, and I appreciated how we rolled with different rotations and stayed positive even when mistakes were made.  Coach Richter and I have several plans in the works as we move into week two, and we are excited to see how the team improves as individuals and as a whole."

The Lady Eagles are on the road again next weekend, traveling across the great state of Wisconsin.  Friday night the Lady Eagles will take on another NAIA program as they visit the Lakers of Silver Lake College in Manitowoc.  Emmaus will then travel west to La Crosse to battle with Western Technical College on Saturday.  Visit the  Emmaus Volleyball Website or the  Emmaus Athletics Facebook page for match times, live stream info, and updates.