Every year when the tournament rolls around, Emory University hopes to be able to host a round. Luckily for Emory this year, they were given a bonus–and they get to host not one, but two first rounds.
Both the Emory Women’s Soccer Team and the Emory Volleyball Team will be seeing action this weekend on the court and on the field at the Woodruff PE Center.
On the soccer side, there will be two games on Saturday, with Emory v. Piedmont at 11 AM, and Lynchburg v. Centre at 1:30 PM. The winners of each respective match will advance to Sunday’s round of 32 game at 1:30 PM. The winner of that game will advance to next weekend’s round of 16.
This will mark the 15th NCAA appearance for the Emory Women’s Soccer program, and it’s fourth straight year qualifying as well–which is the longest streak in the program’s history–matching that from 1995-1998. The Eagles are eager to make their mark in this year’s tournament again, after falling in the National Championship last year in San Antonio, to powerhouse Messiah. Senior captain Kelly Costopoulos, who was recently named to the All-UAA First Team, says that the squad is itching to play, especially coming off last year’s championship loss.
“I’m very excited about playing in the tournament this year, especially after ending last year with unfinished business. We learned a lot last year and this season we have grown from that experience, so I feel confident that we are ready to compete at the highest level. The only way to get back there is to take it one game at a time from here on out, and play every game like it could be our last,” says Costopoulos.
Emory enters the tournament in a great position, after winning 12 of their last 13 games. The last meeting between the Eagles and the Piedmont Lions was in 2011, when they were tied after a scoreless first half, but in the second half the Eagles put three in the net to win the game, outshooting the Lions 31-1.
For volleyball, the Emory squad will host an eight-team regional, with play being held today through Sunday (Nov. 17). Four matches will be held today, and Emory will face Agnes Scott College in an 8 PM start this evening. The winners of the four matches will advance to Saturday’s regional semifinals, played at 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM. The regional championship is also set for 2:00 PM on Sunday.
Friday, Nov. 15
Match 1 – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps vs. Thomas More (12:30 p.m.)
Match 2 – Colorado College vs. Maryville (3:00 p.m.)
Match 3 – Berry College vs. Washington & Lee (5:30 p.m.)
Match 4 – Emory vs. Agnes Scott vs. (8:00 p.m.)
Saturday, Nov. 16
Match 5 – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner (1:30 p.m.)
Match 6 – Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner (4:00 p.m.)
Sunday, Nov. 17
Atlanta Regional Championship (2:00 p.m.)
It’s an exciting weekend for Emory Athletics, as well as two highly ranked Emory teams, with Volleyball sitting at No. 7, and Women’s Soccer at No. 8. We will bring you an update at the end of the weekend with results.
