GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles kicked off the first day of the AQ/CU Tournament going 1-1 with a 3-0 loss to Mount Vernon and a 3-1 victory over St. Francis. It was a nice rebound from the Golden Eagles after losing their first four sets of the day, winning the last three. Emmalee Murphy combined for 30 kills on the day to lead the way for Cornerstone as Aubrey Lenz racked up 66 assists as she inches closer to 3,000. CU will be right back in action tomorrow for the final day of the AQ/CU Tournament where they take on IUSB and Grace at 1 & 3 p.m.

Game One Recap:  MVNU – 3 CU – 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-23)
 
First Set – MVNU – 25 Cornerstone - 22

• Cornerstone got off to a great start thanks to kills by Eliza Thelen and Kylie Barron as the Golden Eagles lead 4-2 early in set one.
• Kylie Andras would add in a service ace to extend the Cornerstone lead 6-3.
• Mount Vernon had to use their first timeout of the match as four straight points by the Golden Eagles makes it an 11-6 match. Macy Ward had an ace with kills by Eliza Thelen and Hannah Giere.
• Hannah Giere added another kill as Cornerstone continued to push their lead as it is now 15-9 in the first set.
• Mount Vernon has used a run to force Cornerstone to use their first timeout as the Golden Eagles still lead 16-14.
• Mount Vernon and Cornerstone battled back and forth as the kill by Eliza Thelene tied the match 20-20 late in the first set.
• Cornerstone used their final timeout as back-to-back kills by the Cougars gives them the 22-20 lead.
• Back-to-back errors by the Cougars forced them to use their final timeout as the match is now tied 22-22 late in set one.
• The Cougars would get three straight points to take the first set 25-22.

 
Second Set – MVNU – 25 Cornerstone - 21

• The Cougars came out in the second set strong as they are leading early 5-3 after a few kills.
• Cornerstone fought back to tie the match 7-7 after a few errors by the Cougars.
• It continued to be a back-and-forth affair as the match continued to be tied as it is 11-11 after a kill by Emmalee Murphy.
• Mount Vernon would go on a big run extending their lead 18-13 after a few kills and a service ace.
• Cornerstone has chipped away at the MVNU lead as they used their first timeout after a kill by Emmalee Murphy and few errors made it a 23-21 Cougar lead.
• MVNU would close out the set strong as Abbey Niemesh sent one down for the kill, Cougars win set two 25-21.

 
Third Set – MVNU – 25 Cornerstone - 23

• Cornerstone got out to an early 4-2 lead thanks to back-to-back kills by Kylie Barron and Emmalee Murphy.
• Mount Vernon and Cornerstone continue to battle as the Cougars have taken the lead 8-7.
• The Cougars would go on a nice little run to extend their lead 15-7 as Cornerstone would use one of their timeouts.
• It continued to be all Mount Vernon as they now lead 21-11 after a few Golden Eagle errors.
• Cornerstone found a way to rally eight straight points in set point to make it a 24-23 match as Mount Vernon calls a timeout. Great serving by Julianna Brower and multiple kills by Hannah Giere get the Golden Eagles back into the game.
• After a long rally on set point, Mount Vernon came away with a third set victory 25-23 after a Golden Eagle error. Winning the match 3-0

 
Game Two Recap: Cornerstone – 3 SFU – 1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 26-24)
 
First Set – St. Francis – 25 Cornerstone - 22

• Cornerstone got off to a good start with kills from Jada Thomas and Emmalee Murphy, giving the Golden Eagles a 4-2 advantage.
• After a service error by the Saints, Cornerstone extended their lead 7-5 early in the first set.
• The first set has continued to go back and forth as the match is tied 11-11 after a kill from Emmalee Murphy.
• No team is extending their lead as points are going one at a time as the match remains tied 16-16.
• St. Francis has pulled ahead of the Golden Eagles as they are forced to use a timeout as they find themselves down 19-16 late in the first set.
• Cornerstone slowly chipped away at the Saints lead as a kill by Jada Thomas makes it a 21-19 match.
• Cornerstone pulled within one 23-22, but St. Francis would close out the match with the next two points with a kill and a final point service ace, winning 25-22.

 
Second Set – Cornerstone – 25 St. Francis - 23

• Just like set one, Cornerstone got off to a good start leading 4-1 thanks to an ace by Emma Whitley and a kill by Emmalee Murphy.
• Didn't take long for St. Francis to come back and tie the match as it is 7-7 early in set two.
• A kill by Emmalee Murphy and Kylie Barron give's Cornerstone the 12-10 lead as the match continues to go back and forth.
• St. Francis went on a 7-3 run to take a 17-15 lead after a service ace and few errors by the Golden Eagles.
• Cornerstone would respond with a nice 4-0 run to retake the lead 19-17 after a kill by Eliza Thelen and a service ace by Macy Ward.
• St. Francis would then go on a run of their own to take a 23-21 lead that forced Cornerstone to use their last timeout.
• Again, another run from the Golden Eagles was highlighted by a huge solo block by Kylie Barron which gave Cornerstone the 24-23 lead.
• Emmalee Murphy would finish set two with a kill through the blockers to end the rally that was the second set 25-23

 
Third Set – Cornerstone – 25 St. Francis - 18

• The third set started off tight as the match is tied 4-4 early after a kill by Aubrey Lenz.
• St. Francis had the first rally of the set, scoring on three straight points to take a 10-7 lead off multiple errors by the Golden Eagles.
• Cornerstone would use a run of their own to tie the match 11-11 after a kill by Hannah Giere and Emmalee Murphy.
• It continued to be all Cornerstone as they have extended their lead 17-13 after kills by Aubrey Lenz and Emmalee Murphy along with big blocks from Hannah Giere and Kylie Barron.
• Cornerstone forces St. Francis to use their final timeout as they continue to push their lead as it is now 22-16. The Golden Eagles took advantage of the Saints errors and a nice kill from Kylie Barron.
• The Golden Eagles would finish off the third set strong winning 25-18 on a block from Eliza Thelen and Jada Thomas.

 
Fourth Set – Cornerstone – 26 St. Francis - 24

• Cornerstone came out hot in the fourth set getting up 5-1 early thanks to kills by Jada Thomas and Emmalee Murphy.
• St. Francis responded with a 5-1 run of their own to tie it 6-6 taking advantage of the Cornerstone errors.
• It continued to be a close match as it remains tied 10-10 after a Saints service error.
• Cornerstone has gone on an 8-2 run forcing St. Francis to use their final timeout as the errors kept piling up for the Saints. Jada Thomas and Aubrey Lenz added a kill for the Golden Eagles making it 18-12
• Cornerstone has let the Saints back into this fourth set as they have gone on a 7-2 run taking advantage of multiple Golden Eagle errors forcing a timeout. CU leads 20-19 late in the fourth set.
• Three straight service aces by the Saints forced Cornerstone to use their final timeout as St. Francis now leads 22-20.
• A miraculous over pass from Aubrey Lenz finds open space on the court to tie the match 22-22. Back-to-back attack errors from the Saints give the Golden Eagles a 24-22 lead.
• Back-to-back errors from the Golden Eagles ties the match 24-24, but kills by Hannah Giere and Jada Thomas send the fans home happy as Cornerstone win 26-24.

 
By the Numbers:
66 – Aubrey Lenz racked up 66 assists on the day, 56 away from 3,000
31 – Alli Pickard led the team in digs with 31 combined
30 – Emmalee Murphy led the way with 30 kills combined
10 – Eiliza Thelen had 10 total blocks on the day with Kylie Barron right behind her with nine
 
 
What's Next?
Cornerstone is right back in action tomorrow for the second day of the AQ/CU Tournament as they take on IUSB at 1 and Grace at 3 p.m.
 
Volleyball Contact: Jesse Campbell
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