The UW-Whitewater volleyball team, ranked fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top 25 poll, fell to third ranked Emory University in five sets (25-15, 22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13) Friday night. The match was the first ever contest to be played in the newly dedicated Kris Russell Volleyball Arena.

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Emory got the match started with a first set win, 25-15, using momentum from the three set loss to Carthage in the preceding match.

Whitewater bounced back to take a quick lead in set two 7-2. The Eagles fought back to tie the score 13-13. UW-W was forced to take a timeout as a 4-1 EU run swung the set in favor of the Eagles 17-14. The Warhawks refused to fold under the pressure and battled to take the lead and then the set 25-22.

Sofia Sanchez (Janesville/Craig) got Whitewater rolling in the third set pounding down four kills in the first six points including three straight to start the set. The momentum swung away from the Warhawks after a call that was questioned gave EU the point and the serve as they crawled to within one of UW-W 8-7. The rest of the set went back-and-forth with the lead changing hands multiple times. Back-to-back kills by Shaela Hayden (Harvard, IL/Harvard) and Katy Krajnak (Racine/Case) gave Whitewater an opening and set point. The Warhawks took the third set 25-22 on an Eagle service error.

UW-W trailed 8-3 in the fourth set before going on a 6-3 run putting pressure on Emory and forcing an Eagle timeout. EU extended its lead out of the timeout to 16-10. Three consecutive kills by Sanchez helped UW-W get back in the set and force the second Emory timeout with Whitewater down just 20-23. A solo block by Sanchez followed out of the timeout but the margin the Eagles prevailed taking set four 25-21.

The deciding fifth set was intense as teams traded points. A yellow card on an Emory player gave Whitewater some momentum as Krajnak and Christina DeGroot (Kewaskum/Kewaskum) teamed up on an assist block to give the Warhawks the 8-7 lead at the side switch. The lead traded hands the rest of the set until the very end as a solo block and a service ace hit the net and dribbled over decided the set and match in favor of Emory.

Three Warhawks hitters pounded down double digit kills in the match including Sanchez with 19, Hayden added 13 and Caitlin Hogan (New London/New London) contributed with 10. DeGroot dished out 41 assists and added seven digs. Defensively, Alyssa Bauer (Naperville, IL/Central) posted 21 digs to record her thirty-fourth career match with 20 or more digs to stand alone atop the matches with 20 plus digs category in the UW-W record book.

The Warhawks continue play in the Whitewater Invitational Saturday, September 25 against two ranked opponents. The first match is scheduled for 10:00 am against fourteenth ranked Carthage and the nightcap at 2:00 pm matches UW-W with number twenty-two Chicago.

Whitewater is now 13-2 on the season. Emory improves its record to 11-2.

For additional information: Stacy Boudreau