Heading into their District XI Class 6A quarterfinal round matchup against Easton on Wednesday, Emmaus was looking to do something that they hadn’t done in nearly three weeks — win a match.
After struggling down the stretch of the regular-season, which included and an early exit from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Tournament, head coach Jess Olang’s was looking for any type of positives.
The Hornets, who reached the district championship a year ago, finally were able to get back into the win column as they defeated a much-improved Red Rovers squad in straight sets 3-0 at home at ‘The Hive.’
Emmaus, the No. 3 seed, got tested but were able to survive winning tightly contested sets 25-17, 27-25 and 25-23.
“Anybody in playoffs is going to play their hearts out,” said Olang, the Hornets third year coach. “We were in control the first set and had some unforced errors that pushed us into tighter sets but to be fair Easton played phenomenal defense. They came at us hard.”
Senior Rosie Landino, a first team All EPC performer, led the Hornets offensive attack with seven kills, while junior Fiona Answini was next with six kills and nine digs as the Hornets improved to 12-7 on the season and earned a semifinal date opposite second-seeded Liberty, which swept seventh-seeded Stroudsburg 3-0.
Junior Emmas Nesfeder also bad a big night with five service aces, nine digs and a team-high 20 assists, while senior Ashley Hoppes had eight digs.
“Everybody would love to see their team be in control of a match, but there’s something to be said for coming out on top even though things got as tight as they did,” said Olang. “We were down in the second set and they had game point on us and we came back. I’m proud of the girls for battling – a battle is a battle and when you come out on top that always builds your confidence.”
Up next for Emmaus will be a second meeting against Liberty. The two teams will meet on Monday, November 2 at 7:15 p.m. at Catasauqua High School. The Hurricane swept the Hornets when the two teams met back on September 18, 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-19).
“We’re excited heading into the Liberty match,” said Olang.
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Emmaus 3, Easton 0
Set 1 – Em 25-17
Set 2 – Em 27-25
Set 3 – Em 25-23