ATLANTA, Ga. (Sept. 4, 2026) – Pfeiffer opened play at the Emory Invitational with a pair of straight-set losses Friday, falling to St. Mary's (Ind.) and host Emory at Woodruff Arena in the first day of the Jenny McDowell Inviational.
In the opener, St. Mary's (Ind.) swept the Falcons 25-13, 25-14, 25-17 behind a balanced offensive attack that produced 44 kills and a .317 hitting percentage. Caroline Carens led the Belles with 15 kills, while Maddie Taitano added eight
For Pfeiffer,
Jada Thomas recorded a team-high six kills and hit .250, while
Ariyan Ford contributed five kills and two block assists.
Molly Wright paced the defense with 11 digs, and setters
Karmen Rion and
Kelsey Hussey combined for 16 assists.
The Falcons improved throughout the match, posting their best set in the third where they hit .185 and scored 17 points, but never fully recovered from a slow start as the Belles controlled play from the opening set.
Later in the day, Pfeiffer challenged Emory more closely before dropping a 25-21, 25-20, 25-12 decision. The Falcons were within striking distance through the first two sets before the Eagles pulled away in the third.
Ella Moore powered Emory with 13 kills and a .480 attacking percentage, while Sydney Kennedy added six kills and two service aces. The Eagles finished with 38 kills, 55 digs and a .179 hitting percentage.
Thomas again led the Falcons offensively with five kills, while
Kady Collins added four kills and hit .300.
Leigan Lusk totaled four blocks, including two solo stops, and Wright collected a match-high 16 digs. Rion and Hussey combined for 13 assists.
Pfeiffer fell to 0-2 on the season but will look to rebound with a pair of matches on Saturday against former USA South foes LaGrange and Huntingdon.
