Box Score

Atlanta, GA -- In their first match of the NCAA National Tournament, the Piedmont College volleyball team fell in straight sets earlier tonight to the #1 ranked Eagles of Emory University on the in-state rival's home floor. The visitors stayed tight with the hosting Eagles early in each set, but could not hold on to take a set on the road from the tournament favorite.

In the opening set, Emory would realize quickly that they would have a battle on their hands when Paige Eslinger put an ace past the Eagles on just the second point. Top ranked Emory would not take a lead in the set until grabbing a 6-5 advantage, but the Lady Lions could not stave off the one of the nation's top offensive attacks with the home team taking set one 25-15.

Set number two opened with a quick three points in favor of PC including a powerful kill from senior outside hitter Kalin DeMarrais. Despite jumping out to an early lead, the Lady Lions could not get their hitting to consistently hit the opponent's floor as Emory took the second set by a 25-15 score once more.

In the final set of the match, Piedmont again put up a fight fitting of the Great South Athletic Conference champions that they were this season. However, despite battling with the nation's top team throughout, the squad dropped a 25-18 third set to fall 3-0 overall in the match.

Senior Heather Stafford ended her Lady Lion career on a quality note powering her way to nine total kills on 14 attempts for a stellar hitting percentage of .500 for the match. Classmate Kalin DeMarrais also finished up her time on campus giving the traveling Piedmont fans several exciting moments to cheer for with her four blinding kills.

Leading the way defensively for the squad was the 2010 GSAC Libero of the Year, Paige Eslinger, who worked her way to double-digit digs with 11 against an Emory squad that ranks in the nation's top ten in both hitting percentage and kills per set.

Setter Katheryn Knarr posted double digit set assists once more in her debut Lady Lion season, leading the Piedmont attack against a well prepared Emory defense. Fellow freshman Ashton Nash also contributed with five set assists of her own in Piedmont's final match of the season.

The loss to the top-ranked Eagles of Emory University rounds out the Lady Lions' season at 20-14, marking the sixth consecutive season that Piedmont has crested the 20-win barrier. The NCAA post-season berth was Piedmont's second in the history of the volleyball program since the school became a full-fledged Division-III member in 2003.