The last time the Case Western Reserve University volleyball team defeated Emory University, current Head Coach Karen Farrell was a senior on the Brandeis University volleyball team.

In the intervening 33 years, Farrell won 532 matches across 30 seasons as a head coach, including 455 victories in 24 years with CWRU, since the program's previous win over the Eagles on September 26, 1992.

On Sunday, in the Gosman Athletic Center on the campus of Brandeis in Waltham, Massachusetts, the site of the program's last triumph over the Eagles, the Spartans ended a stretch of 49 consecutive losses to Emory, winning in four sets 25-22, 25-14, 18-25, 25-15, in the University Athletic Association Fifth-Place Match.

CWRU ended the season with a record of 17-14, placing fifth in the conference, while the Eagles dropped to 19-7, placing sixth in the UAA.

Senior outside hitter Kalli Wall led the squad with 16 kills and just one error in her final collegiate match, adding four blocks. Senior middle blockers Amanda Ngo and Kiya Levy, also wearing the Royal and White for the final time, each had seven kills with Ngo adding five blocks and Levy contributing four blocks and two service aces. Junior outside hitter Emily Goodpaster finished with 10 kills, three digs, a service ace, and a block.

Defensively, sophomore defensive specialist Sophia Datto had a team-high 15 digs with sophomore setter Avery Basinger adding nine to complement 14 assists and two service aces. Sophomore setter Elena Esquivel paced the squad with 18 assists, adding two blocks and a pair of kills.

Emory started the match strong, winning eight of the first 12 points. The Spartans responded with an 8-2 run, taking the lead on a kill by Ngo. The Eagles tied the score at 13 and 14 before CWRU used the service of Basinger to win five consecutive points, culminating in a service ace by the sophomore. Emory cut its deficit to two, 21-19, on a Spartan attack error, but back-to-back kills by Goodpaster gave Case Western Reserve a 23-19 edge. Following a timeout, the Eagles won three points in a row, serving to tie the match. However, the Spartans used a timeout, and Ngo buried a kill and CWRU forced an Emory error, giving Case Western Reserve the first set.

The Spartans used the momentum from the first set to win six of the first seven points in the second stanza, opening a lead they would not relinquish. Emory cut the deficit to four, 12-8, and later five, 15-10. Case Western Reserve responded by taking eight of the following nine points, including two kills and a service ace by Levy. Basinger gave CWRU a 24-14 lead with a kill, and the Eagles ended the set with an attacking error, putting the Spartans ahead two sets.

Trailing by three in the third set, the Spartans used three consecutive points to tie the score at 11. Emory reclaimed the advantage with a 7-2 run and put the set away by winning six of the final nine points, extending the match to a fourth period.

The Spartans opened the final stanza with five consecutive points, receiving two kills from Wall, one from Levy, and a block by Levy and Esquivel. Emory ended the run and cut its deficit to two, but Case Western Reserve responded with four points in a row to extend the lead. The Eagles came within three points of the Spartans, 12-9, but CWRU would not let Emory back into the match, with Goodpaster, Ngo, and Wall putting down kills to increase the team's lead back to six, 18-12. The teams traded the next five points, before Ngo took over, burying a kill and blocking three consecutive attacks to put the Spartans one point away from the upset. Goodpaster delivered a serve, and Emory's attack went long, as the Case Western Reserve bench ran onto the court to celebrate the win.

Farrell broke into a smile, was congratulated by Assistant Coach Kim Waters, and shook hands with the Emory team before celebrating with her squad and the Spartan seniors.

Spartan Notes

• CWRU had a .274 hitting percentage in the match and held Emory to just .138 on the attacking end
• The Spartans totaled nine blocks to the Eagles' four
• Wall ended her career with 1,064 kills, the 12th most in program history, and 1,192.5 points, the 13th most by a Spartan. Her 3.59 kills per set in 2025 were the eighth-most by a Spartan in a single season and her career .231 attacking percentage was 14th best in program lore
• Ngo finished her career with 832 kills, 319 blocks, and 1,026.0 points across 108 matches. Her 319 total blocks rank seventh in program history, just 15 shy of her sister Jennifer's total of 334 from 2021-23. She averaged 0.91 blocks per set, the sixth best rate ever by a Spartan, and her 832 kills rank 18th in program history. Ngo's 116 blocks in 2025 are tied for the 11th most in a season by a CWRU player
• Levy ended her career with 364 kills, 198 blocks, and 500.0 points in 90 matches across four seasons for CWRU
• Datto concluded the season with a team-high 553 digs, the 13th-most by a Spartan in a campaign and most since Katie Best had 561 in 2015. She has 972 career digs, just 28 away from becoming the 22nd player in program history with at least 1,000
• Esquivel had a team-high 703 assists (5.86 per set), and Basinger added 402 helpers (3.50 per set) during the campaign