THE BASICS 

Match 1 Score: Emerson 3, Me.-Presque Isle 0

Match 2 Score: Emerson 3, Simmons 0

Records: Emerson Lions (3-0) ; Me-Presque Isle Owls (0-2) ; Simmons Sharks (2-1)

Location: Brown & Plofker Gym (Boston, Mass. )

Date: September 4, 2021

The Lead: The Emerson women's volleyball team saw their stay in the win column extend as the Lions wrapped up the first week of 2021 with a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Me.-Presque Isle and Simmons on Saturday afternoon in non-conference women's volleyball action. 

MATCH ONE: Emerson 3, Me-Presque Isle 0 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Sakura Regan: 9 kills 
Rachel Scott: 29 assists 
Andrea Mendez: 6 aces & 12 digs 

ME-PRESQUE ISLE 

Paige McArthur: 4 kills & eight digs
Kaya Amoroso: 8 assists, one ace
Rachel Walker: ace, one block
Alexis Engel: 8 digs

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Back-to-back kills by Becca Polsky and an ace put Emerson up to an early 3-0 lead in the first frame and were able to maintain a steady lead until a 5-0 run by the Owls pushed the visitors to its first lead at 9-7. 
• Presque Isle held on to a lead of at least three throughout the frame before a kill and two consecutive attack errors by the Owls kickstarted an Emerson 7-1 streak that propelled the Lions to the 25-22 opening set win. 
• Emerson racked up a hitting percentage of .348 in the second frame to help the Lions run away with the 25-8 victory and put themselves up two sets to none. 
• It was the third frame that started off in Presque Isle's favor as the visitors gained a comfortable 7-2 lead on Emerson. The Lions, however, were able to quickly answer with their own streak of six points to claim the 8-7 lead on a kill by Isabella Cubba. 
• The Owls held the Lions within one midway through the set, but Emerson fired back and snagged back the lead for good on a 6-0 push that put the score at 20-16. 
• Three was the closest Presque Isle was able to come to Emerson as a swing from Polsky sealed the 25-19 win and the sweep. 

MATCH TWO: Emerson 3, Simmons 0 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Parker Cummings: 10 kills
Caroline Bond: 28 assists & 9 digs 
Logan Steenbergen: 5 service aces 
Jillian Kay: 4 blocks 

SIMMONS

Jayla Parnell: 5 kills
Sydney Iannantuono: 5 kills & 2 service aces
Jordan Hacker: 9 digs
Claire Connors: 2 blocks

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• After Simmons snagged the 4-2 lead on an Emerson service error, a kill by Steenbergen set off the Lions for the next five points and the 7-4 lead. The Sharks wasted little time and answered with three points of their own to lock the set at 7-all. 
• Emerson started to distance themselves with a steady five-point cushion (15-10), but Simmons made it interesting with four consecutive kills to edge them within one at 16-15. 
• The remainder of the frame saw Emerson hold no more than a two point advantage over the visitors, but registered a kill from Carolyn Vaimoso and a Sharks attack error to seal the 25-22 first set win. 
• A quick 3-1 lead to kick off the second frame helped kickstart Emerson with the Lions shutting down Simmons with a string of eight points to give the hosts a nine-point edge before eventually pushing the lead into double figures on a Sharks attack mishap. (13-3)
• Simmons crept back within nine on a swing from Parnell and attack error, yet were not able to get any closer as Emerson capitalized on two attack errors, a kill and ace to put the game at 20-7. 
• The Sharks pieced together a mini streak of their own towards the end with a 6-2 run only to have the Lions capture the 25-15 win on a service error. 
• Emerson's momentum carried into the game's final set as the Lions fired off the set's first seven of eight points (7-1). 
• Simmons kept the game in single digits at six (14-8) on a service error by Emerson. Emerson, however, answered with eight straight points, highlighted by two kills from Bond and Kay, alongside a pair of aces by Steenbergen. (22-8)
• A kill and ace were the last points recorded by Simmons as Emerson locked down the match with three consecutive points, including the game winning kill by Cummings, for the 25-10 win. 

UP NEXT 

• Emerson heads out for its first road contest of 2021 over at Brandeis on September 9th at 7 p.m.