The Emory University volleyball team traveled to Massachusetts last weekend for the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships and earned sixth place after going 1-2 across the weekend. The team came into the weekend with a 5-2 conference record, but were ultimately unable to defend their UAA title from last season.
The Eagles went 4-0 at the Emory Invitational the weekend prior, which included wins against ranked opponents Ithaca College (N.Y.) and Berry College (Ga.) on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8. Coming off those wins, senior setter Olivia Rabinowitz said the team was feeling excited heading into the championship.
“We’ve been working really hard in practice and all that work translated over this past weekend,” Rabinowitz said. “We’re excited to come in … and show everyone why we’re supposed to be there.”
Junior right-side hitter Sophia Luo said the team would have to be ready to make changes on the fly, but also to trust in themselves.
“We really need to keep emphasizing how adaptable that we’ve become,” Luo said. “In the face of adversaries or unfamiliar territory, it’s important to be quick on our feet. … Also keep true to ourselves and definitely know what we do best and keep executing that.”
In their first of three UAA Championship games, the team played New York University (NYU) on Nov. 15, where they suffered a difficult loss that ended with a final score of 3-1. The Eagles started strong, taking the first set 25-21, as the team capitalized on five attack errors from NYU and a service ace from Rabinowitz. The second set opened with NYU in the lead, but the Eagles put up a fight and brought the score to 22-21 after a kill from junior right-side hitter Gabija Staniskis. The Violets regained their momentum, however, ultimately taking the second set 25-21.
Kills from seniors outside hitter Kaya Monrose and middle blocker Eliane Silberman gave Emory a 19-17 lead in the third set, but NYU was able to take the set 26-24. The fourth and final set saw five ties, with the Eagles fighting to tie the set at 26-26 before the Violets scored two points to end it at 28-26.
Sophomore right-side and outside hitter Maria Flynn said that after losses, the team looks for motivation in tough moments and tries to build off of them in the next games.
“We find a lot of motivation in moments like that, which is honestly pretty uplifting,” Flynn said. “That gives us reassurance and confidence to know that almost any game we play will be extremely determined by how we decide to come out and perform.”
Later that day, the Eagles faced Brandeis University (Mass.) and beat them 3-1. Emory dominated the first set, with kills from Silberman and Rabinowitz closing it out at 25-13. The second set was much closer, but the Eagles went on a 10-3 run and carried their momentum to ultimately overtake the Judges 25-19.
Brandeis opened the third set with their own momentum and were able to beat the Eagles in a 25-21 win, before Emory bounced back to claim the fourth set 25-18. Flynn said the key to beating Brandeis was the team’s unity and strong communication.
“We did a really good job of staying together and trying to play as a team and play cohesive,” Flynn said. “We were trying to all be there for each other and support each other and get the win.”
The Eagles played Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) the following day in the fifth-place game and lost 3-1, but not without putting up a fight. Emory opened with a lead in the first set, but Case Western fought back, winning 25-22. The Spartans continued their momentum into the second set, beating the Eagles 25-14. The Eagles bounced back to defeat the Spartans 25-18 in the third set thanks to kills from senior right-side hitter Leneia Niko and service aces from Rabinowitz and senior defensive specialist Caroline Coyle, but dropped the fourth set 25-15.
Although the team suffered two hard losses this weekend, their season will continue as they play Springfield College (Mass.) in the first round of the NCAA championships this Thursday in Boston. Flynn said the team has turned their focus toward this weekend and will use these losses as fuel for the challenges ahead.
“The best thing that we can do, and what we intend to do, is use this as motivation,” Flynn said. “This year, we’ve played some of our best weekends after we had a weekend that didn’t go our way because we went into that week of practice so intentional, and that’s exactly what we’re doing this week.”
Luo said she is motivated to play for the large senior class who are competing in their final season at Emory.
“This time I have with my seniors, it’s super limited … so I honestly want to play for them,” Luo said. “I love the sport, and I’m sure everyone feels the same way, we love the people and we love the game. So, why not just play our best?”
