The Emmaus girls volleyball team had its back against the wall during the East Penn Conference title match.

Trailing unbeaten Bethlehem Catholic 2-0 in the match, second-seeded Emmaus rallied to come all the way back and win three consecutive sets to defeat the top seeded Golden Hawks last Thursday at Liberty High School.

Scores of the match were all close - 23-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-22, 15-13.

“All I can say is Emmaus girls volleyball knows how to battle,” said Hornet head coach Jessica Olang. “These athletes have fought through so much adversity this season. Their mental toughness and athletic mindset have improved just as much as their skill.

“We knew what it would take to beat Becahi and we executed. That task is significantly easier said than done, but our athletes held true to the core of what has made us so strong this year: each other.”

Neither team had more than a five-point advantage during a game all evening.

Senior outside hitter Amanda Rivera led the EHS offense with 19 kills and added 19 digs. She is one of seven seniors on the Hornet roster.

“This victory means everything to us,” said Rivera. “Becahi is a great team and they played really well like they had all season. We really had to play our best game, and we did. All of the girls gave it their all and I’m so proud of the team to be able to make history like this. We will always remember this night.”

The Emmaus attack did a great job at the night all night, as three other players finished with double figures in kills. Fiona Answini finished with 13 kills, three blocks and seven digs. Rosie Landino recorded 11 kills, eight digs and a team-best six blocks. Claudia Walls tallied 10 kills, seven digs and three blocks. Alyssa Heffner contributed 51 assists, 15 digs and six kills. Corrine Slivka had a team-high 25 digs and Haley Seidel added 17 digs. Emma Nesfeder notched four kills, six digs, two blocks and two assists.

In the semifinals, the Hornets took down Freedom in four sets, by scores of 25-18, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22. Heffner tallied 31 assists and three kills. Seidel recorded 13 digs and two aces, earning her 100th career ace. Rivera added 13 kills and 15 digs.

Emmaus, which improved to 18-3 overall, earned the top seed in the District 11 4A tournament. The Hornets will open the bracket with a home match against Liberty on Thursday in the quarterfinal round.

Bethlehem Catholic dropped to 20-1 with the loss and will be the No. 3 seed in the District 11 Class 3A playoffs.