THE BASICS 

Score: Emerson 3, Mount Holyoke 0 

Records: Emerson Lions (17-7, 6-4 NEWMAC) ; Mount Holyoke Lyons (4-17, 0-10 NEWMAC)

Location: South Hadley, Mass. (Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium)

Date: October 30, 2021

The Lead: To close the 2021 regular season, the Emerson women's volleyball team swept Mount Holyoke in three with the help of freshman Parker Cummings' 13 kills on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Lions extended their win streak to five matches and now await their NEWMAC Quarterfinals opponent. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Cummings: 13 kills
Rebecca Polsky: 19 assists
Andrea Mendez & Anna Phillips: three aces
Olivia Tran: nine digs
Isabella Cubba: four blocks

MOUNT HOLYOKE 

Sarah Bishop & Marion Abeja: seven kills
Chelsea Galicia: 16 digs
Gabi Davis & McKenna Crosby: two blocks
Galicia, Crosby & Abeja: one ace

HOW IT HAPPENED 

SET ONE

• Emerson held a 9-5 lead in the beginning of the first frame until Mount Holyoke charged back with a 6-1 run that put the Lyons ahead at 11-10. 
• The Lions were able to hold their edge over the Lyons even as the hosts locked the set up three more times, the last coming at 18-all. 
• Tied at 18, Emerson rattled off a 6-2 streak to extend their advantage up to four at 24-20 on an attack error by Mount Holyoke. The Lyons earned two points back on a Lions attack error and an ace, but it was the visitors who came away with the first set win on a swing by freshman Amelia Combs, 25-22. 

SET TWO 

• The Lions started off the second frame playing from behind as the host Lyons held a one-point edge at 7-6. Thanks to two Mount Holyoke mishaps, Emerson was able to tack two points on to go up one and continued to add on to their lead. 
• The score locked once more at 8-all before Mendez stepped to the line and helped kick off a 9-1 Emerson run with three consecutive aces as the visitors upped their lead to seven at 16-9. 
• Emerson maintained a lead of at least eight points in the closing of the second set and were able to finish off Mount Holyoke, 25-16, to go up two sets. 

SET THREE 

• Like the second set, the Lions came out of the third playing from behind as the host Lyons held a one-point edge over Emerson at 7-6. Also like the second set, the Lions answered and reclaimed the lead for good. 
• After Mount Holyoke closed the gap to one at 13-12, Emerson stormed ahead with the next four points that included a pair of swings from freshman Isabella Chu and gave the Lions their biggest advantage of the frame at five, 17-12, 
• Mount Holyoke, however, kept pace with the visitors and inched back within a pair at 17-15 on a kill and two Lions attack errors. 
• Emerson did not let Mount Holyoke get comfortable and went to work once again with the set's next six of seven points to put the score at 24-16 in the Lions' favor. The Lyons battled back with three consecutive points to keep the Lions from match point, but Emerson snagged the match's final point on senior Carolyn Vaimoso's kill to put the final at 25-19.

UP NEXT

• With the regular season at an end, Emerson now awaits to find out their NEWMAC Quarterfinals opponent with the first round starting on Tuesday, November 2nd at 7:00 p.m.