HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The Methodist volleyball team opened the season with a pair of wins on the first day of the EMU Invitational to begin the 2017 season 2-0.
 
The Monarchs (2-0) opened the day with a hard-fought 25-23, 17-25, 25-17, 26-24 win over Lynchburg and followed that with a dominant 25-7, 25-5, 25-5 win over Mary Baldwin.
 
Cassidy Hayes started the season with a bang, pounding out 14 kills and hitting .333 in the 3-1 win over the Hornets. Ashley Beardsley added 10 kills and 14 digs, while Megan Andrews contributed nine kills and 19 digs in her first collegiate match. Brittany Ter Meer added nine kills, and Maggie Harris racked up 39 assists.
 
Annabelle Ronelli had 25 digs to lead the MU defense, while Chyenne Pump added 12 to go with eight kills and a pair of service aces.
 
Mesa Willis led the Hornets with 15 kills and added 10 digs. Lauren Stanford had 24 digs.
 
Methodist had no problem dispatching the Fighting Squirrels, holding MBU to a -.260 hitting percentage while posting a .579 hitting percentage as a team. The Monarchs added 13 service aces, including four from Ronelli.
 
Hayes led a balanced offense with 10 kills and hit .692. Ter Meer added eight kills with a .583 hitting percentage, while Andrews chipped in seven kills with a .545 hitting percentage. Ronelli had a team-high seven digs to go with her four service aces, and Harris and Lili Henry had 16 and 14 assists, respectively.
 
The Monarchs are back in action on Saturday on day two of the tournament beginning with an 11 am matchup with the host Royals.