ATLANTA, Ga. - A cross-country trip to the Emory National Invitational was well worth the mileage as the No. 9 Cal Lutheran women's volleyball team faced a full slate of high caliber teams. The Regals upset No. 2 Calvin and No. 6 Washington-St. Louis with a win over Wheaton (Ill.) despite falling to host and No. 1 Emory.
CLU def. Wheaton (Ill.) 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 26-16):
On Friday to start the weekend of competition, Cal Lutheran controlled the match and 13 different players stepped on the court. Michelle Lawrence led the way with nine kills, followed by seven from Allie Eason. Jamie Smith set the ball for 29 assists and Nicki Tetherow led the team with two service aces while also pacing the defense with 15 digs. Sarah Pappas was tough at the net with the only solo stop of the match and three block assists. The Regals hit better as the match went on.
No. 1 Emory def. No. 9 CLU 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-20):
The night cap pitted CLU against the top team in the country. The Regals battled and played the Eagles tough, needing extra points in the first set. Lawrence and Smith again led the way with 14 kills and 29 more assists, respectively, and Lawrence added 10 digs for a double-double. Tetherow tallied three aces and 14 digs. There were two solo blocks in the match, one from Lawrence and the other from Monica Lundgren as the pair supplied a combined nine block assists as well.
No. 9 CLU def. No. 6 Wash-U 3-1 (25-22, 12-25, 25-15, 25-17):
Saturday started with a four-set win over Washington-St. Louis. The Regals took the first after hitting .359 as a unit, but an offensive breakdown allowed the Bears to come back and claim the second to even the team score. CLU would regroup and control the momentum in the final two games, hitting at identical .226 clips and limiting Wash-U to a third set -.059 and fourth game .133 team hitting percentage, to secure the win. Eason finished with a team-high 12 kills, just ahead of Sarah Pappas with 11 while Smith handed out 36 assists. Lawrence and Tetherow notched 12 digs apiece. Pappas also recorded a solo block and seven block assists to lead the team with 15.5 points.
No. 9 CLU def. No. 2 Calvin 3-2 (25-17, 18-25, 25-20, 23-25, 17-15):
The most exciting match of the weekend was the final one for Cal Lutheran. After exchanging games one and two then three and four, the Regals and Knights went into a decisive fifth set where the Violet and Gold needed extra points to defeat Calvin in the first meeting between the teams since the 2013 National Championships match. Lawrence put down 22 kills and hit .404 with 12 digs as well as a solo block and seven block assists for another productive match in which she contributed 27.5 total points. It was also her second double-double of the tournament. Eason, who clinched the fifth game with her final kill of the day, finished with 13 and added 12 digs for a double-double of her own. Smith was solid again with 45 assists. Eason, Molly Holloway and Amanda Roberts had a pair of aces apiece. Tetherow recorded 23 digs and Roberts added 10 as four players reached double figures.
Notables: Lawrence was named to the All-Tournament Team with Maggie Camp (Calvin), Caroline Dupont (Wash-U), Ellie Ezekiel (Franklin & Marshall), Kerkhof (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps) and Sydney Miles (Emory).
Next Up: Cal Lutheran (11-2) is finished with non-conference play and will return to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Whittier for a 7:30 p.m. first serve at the Graham Athletics Center.
Schedule: Cal Lutheran
Tournament Central: 2015 Cal Lu Fornia Invitational
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