WORCESTER, Mass. - The Emerson women's volleyball team closed out its 2016 season with a 3-0 sweep to Clark University on Saturday afternoon at Kneller Gymnasium in NEWMAC action. 

Clark took the first set by the score of 25-20 and finished off the sweep with 25-13 and 25-19 wins in the second and third sets. The Lions wrapped up the season at 17-11 overall and 2-8 in NEWMAC play, while the Cougars finished the regular season at 21-7 overall and 7-3 against NEWMAC opponents. 

Sophomore Moira Brennan (Glenview, Ill.) registered 28 assists, while senior Jules Augustine (Skaneateles, N.Y.) finished out her Lions career with 10 kills and junior Sam Harton (Cartersville, Ga.) led the Lions with a team high two aces and 10 digs. Six Emerson players had one block assist apiece. 

Junior Marina Ramos powered Clark with a double-double of 16 kills and 11 digs with two block assists. Sophomore Rayme Quiban tallied a match-high 14 digs and sophomore Rachel Webb registered 25 assists. A pair of Cougars had two blocks, while six players registered one ace. 

Emerson jumped out to the 10-7 lead in the opening frame before Clark tallied five consecutive points to take the 12-10 lead away from the Lions. However, the Lions battled back to square the set at 14-all to continue to remain neck-and-neck with the Cougars. Emerson came within three at 23-20 on a kill from senior Amanda Linzmeyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.), but a pair of kills by Ramos wrapped up the 25-20 Cougars first set win. 

The Lions tied the second set up four times to begin the second set before the Cougars started to give themselves some breathing room at 10-6 after a service ace. Clark upped their lead to seven at 17-10 as Emerson earned three points back to get within five at 18-13, but 13 is all the Lions would tally. The Cougars registered the final seven points as a swing by senior Courtney Pharr put away the Lions, 25-13. 

The final set saw Emerson hold onto a 10-9 lead over Clark before the lead went back and forth between the Lions and Cougars. After Emerson squared the set at 16-all on a kill from Brennan, the Lions grabbed the short-lived 17-16 lead off a Cougars attack error. Clark went on to record the next three points to go ahead by two at 19-17 and had Emerson come within one at 19-18 after another attack error. The Cougars then pieced together a streak of five points to go up 24-19, but it was senior Savannah Sanford's swing that locked up the 25-19 win for Clark. 

Emerson's season has come to a close, while Clark begins the first round of the NEWMAC tournament at home against Wellesley College on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.