CLEVELAND – The University of Chicago volleyball team rallied past Case Western Reserve University before falling to Emory University at the 2021 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship on Friday.

The No. 20-ranked Maroons ran their record to 16-9 on the season. They will next play Carnegie Mellon University in the UAA third-place match on Saturday morning.

UChicago 3, Case Western Reserve 2

UChicago came into the weekend as the No. 3 seed at the UAA Championship after going 5-2 in league play. The host Spartans (12-13 record) were the No. 6 seed.

CWRU closed out the first and second sets with clutch play down the stretch to take a commanding two-set lead. UChicago led midway through the first set 13-9, but the Spartans erased the deficit with five-straight points. The game was tied at 24-24 when CWRU delivered two-consecutive kills to nab the set, 26-24.

The Maroons looked to be in control in the second set, up 12-5. But once again Case Western Reserve hung tough and embarked on an 11-3 run to draw back ahead 16-15. Three kills and two blocks by the hosts resulted in five points in-a-row to close out set two, 25-22.

Now in must-win territory the rest of the match, UChicago never loosened its grip on the third set. The Maroons jumped ahead by scores of 16-8 and 22-11. Soon enough, the visitors were on the board at 25-13.

A six-point streak early in the fourth set helped the Maroons shake off a slow start. After a tie at 20-20, UChicago held firm and sophomore Ella Mao spiked a kill on the third set point to win it 25-23.

In the decisive fifth set, defense helped decide the outcome. Senior Audra Berg was involved in three-straight blocks that helped the Maroons flip a 9-8 deficit into a 13-9 advantage. Kills from Berg and junior Ellie Alden secured the match at 15-11.

In the final stats, UChicago outhit CWRU .194 to .086. The Maroons posted 11 team blocks and served up 11 aces, but also committed 18 service errors.

Alden held the team lead in kills with 15 while adding four blocks and five digs defensively. Berg was efficient in the middle with 10 kills, a .500 hitting percentage and a match-high five blocks. Sophomore Christine Jurgens registered 11 kills, five digs and three blocks. First-year Cami Cox and Mao finished with eight kills apiece.

Sophomore setter Maya Patel crossed the 50-assist threshold for the third time this year – she collected 51 assists, eight digs and two aces. The digs category featured 17 by senior Temilade Adekoya, 16 by first-year Bettye Igbenebor and 14 by first-year Julia Craig. Adekoya also added seven kills and three aces.

Emory 3, UChicago 0

In the UAA semifinals, the second-seeded Eagles (23-4 record) awaited. A close first set went Emory's way down the stretch, 25-22. The second set unfolded very similarly – the Maroons held a slim 22-21 edge before the Eagles turned up the heat and snagged four of the next five points to grab the set, 25-23. Emory then put the third set out of reach with a 9-2 run midway through, ending the match in a sweep at 25-17.

Emory's offense converted at a .278 clip while UChicago hit .186 as a team. Jurgens was the kill leader with 12, adding six digs to her box score as well. Alden and Mao recorded eight kills each. Patel finished with 31 assists, six digs and two aces.

NEXT MATCH:

• Saturday, Nov. 6 @ 10:00 AM (ET) – UChicago vs. Carnegie Mellon University (Cleveland, Ohio)