WORCESTER, Mass. - Despite double-double performances from freshman Bella Edwards (Palisades, Calif.) and sophomore Fara Cohen (Morristown, N.J.), the Emerson women's volleyball team fell short in a 3-1 NEWMAC road tilt loss to WPI on Tuesday night at Harrington Auditorium. 

Emerson falls to 9-4 overall and 1-2 versus NEWMAC opponents, while WPI improves to 9-1 and 2-1 against NEWMAC teams. 

WPI notched seven early points to give themselves a 7-0 cushion before Emerson got on the board after senior Annie Hall (Okemos, Mich.) registered a kill. When it seemed as though WPI was going to pull away with the lead, Emerson began to inch their way back into the match. After getting within one of the Goats at 13-12, a kill from senior Jules Augustine (Skaneateles, N.Y.) squared the match 15-all. Emerson pulled within four at 21-17 after yet another kill from Augustine, but errors committed by the Lions allowed WPI to wrap up the opening frame and take the 25-17 win. 

The Lions grabbed the 5-2 advantage to open the second set, but the Goats answered with three unanswered points to even the score at 5-all. With the score evened up at five, kills from Cohen and sophomore Kelley Guerra (Randolph, N.J.) pushed the Lions lead up to five at 10-5. The Goats followed up with an 8-2 run that allowed WPI to go up 13-12 with the score starting to go back-and-forth. After the Lions regained the 16-14 lead, the match saw three lead changes before Emerson grabbed the 20-19 lead and extended it. A kill from Cohen put Emerson up 20-19 for another kill from the sophomore sealed the 25-20 second set win for the Lions. 

Both WPI and Emerson kept the score differential within one through the beginning of the third set before the Goats began to give themselves some breathing room. After WPI grabbed the five point lead at 15-9 off a kill from Casey Hunt, Emerson clawed their way back with four straight points, including a trio of kills from Edwards, that got the Lions to within one at 14-13. The Lions kept the Goats in their sights and never fell behind more than four points of WPI. Two more kills from Edwards inched the Lions within one point of the Goats at 24-23, but it was Sandra Duarte's kill that lifted WPI to the 25-24 win. 

Much like the third frame, the Goats and Lions kept the score within two. Emerson held a short-lived 10-8 advantage before an 9-1 streak stretched WPI's lead to seven at 18-11. Once WPI grabbed the lead, they did not let go of it despite the Lions closing in at three points at 19-16. A pair of kills from both Kat Turlock and Casey Hunt locked up the 25-17 win in the fourth set and a 3-1 match victory. 

Edwards paced Emerson with 12 kills and 16 digs and Cohen followed up 10 kills and 11 digs. Senior Amanda Linzmeyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) registered 25 digs with sophomore Moira Brennan (Glenview, Ill.) recording 13 digs and 45 helpers and junior Sam Harton (Cartersville, Ill.) with 10 digs. Augustine also recorded four blocks.

Hunt posted a double-double for WPI with 11 kills and 18 digs with Maddy Werth registering 12 kills and Cassandra Tomerlin recording 20 digs and six service aces. Anita Bakhtyari had 16 digs and 22 helpers. 

Both Emerson and WPI return to the court on Thursday night. Emerson travels to Brandeis for a 7:00 p.m. matchup, while WPI heads to Coast Guard for a 7:00 p.m. contest.