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#8 Emery had a tall task on Tuesday afternoon as it faced #1 Union in the quarterfinals.
The Lady Cougars made quick work of Emery in the first set and took it 25-12. The Lady Spartans overcame a 4-0 hole in the second set and scored four straight points to tie it all up. They then worked their way into a slight lead, 8-7, before Union ripped off seven consecutive points to take a commanding lead. Emery fell in the second set 25-13.
The Spartans found themselves in another big deficit, 7-2, in the third set. Again, Emery battled back and went on a 7-2 run of its own to tie it up at nine. Still tied at 12, Union once more went on a run with six points in succession. The Lady Cougars proved too much for Emery to handle, and they won the third set 25-17 to complete the sweep.
In the consolation bracket, Emery faced off against a well known opponent in Richfield. After a 5-5 tie, Emery went on a mini run to lead 10-7. Richfield battled back, however, and tied it once more at 13. Emery grabbed two-point leads, but the Wildcats inevitably came back until again it was tied at 19. Emery then strung together four straight points to go on top 23-19. There was no quit in Richfield as the Lady Wildcats stole the next three points to make it 23-22. Emery put themselves one point away from a set win, but Richfield fought off the Spartans with four straight points to take it 26-24.
The blow proved costly as Emery struggled in the second set. Richfield won seven straight points to take a 7-1 lead and eventually went up 13-3. The Wildcats cruised onto a 25-12 set victory. Down 16-10 in the third set, Emery came alive and forced its way back in the game, 18-17. The Lady Spartans finally tied the set at 20 and took their first lead 21-20. Richfield then grabbed the next three points to force the match-point. Emery tried once more to tie it up, but their comeback was all for naught as the Wildcats prevailed 25-23.
With the loss, Emery was eliminated from the tournament. The Lady Spartans finished 12-14 on the year and 3-7 in region.