The 2012 Emory volleyball team recorded yet another successful
season with the squad coming through with a number of significant
accomplishments.
For the record, Emory finished 2012 with an overall record of
33-6, tying the fourth-highest win total in school annals. The 33
triumphs represented the program’s
14th campaign of 30 or more wins during the 17-year
tenure of head coach Jenny McDowell and marked the school’s
19th consecutive winning campaign.
In addition to the impressive final record, other significant
Emory volleyball achievements included:
** Earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th consecutive
year. For the second straight year, the Eagles were sent
packing to the Newport News Regional that was hosted by Christopher
Newport. After eliminating Salem, 3-0, in the first round and
No. 23 Juniata, 3-1 in the second round, Emory saw its hopes of
reaching the Final Eight of nationals come to an end when it
dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 6-ranked Christopher Newport in the
regional final.
** Concluding the regular season ranked fourth nationally and
owning the No. 8 spot in the final poll as conducted by the
American Volleyball Coaches Association. The Eagles have been
ranked in the top 20 in every weekly poll by the AVCA for the last
16 seasons.
** Capturing the program’s fifth overall UAA title and
third in the past four years. The Eagles hosted the 2012 UAA
Championships and defeated Case Western Reserve, 3-1, in the
semifinals before upending No. 1-ranked Washington University, 3-2,
in the finals. It marked the ninth straight year that the Eagles
and Bears had met for the conference crown.. Emory
finished the UAA portion of the schedule with an 8-1 record, and
now owns a 57-6 ledger in conference affairs since the 2007
season.
** Ranking prominently on the national scene in various number of
statistical categories including 17th in kills per
set (13.34 kps), 12th in hitting percentage (.251), 14th in assists
per set (12.27 aps) and 16th in winning percentage
(.846).
** Having three players bring home All-American acclaim -- Breanah
Bourque, Sydney Miles and Alex Duhl.
** Having Breanah Bourque named the UAA Most Valuable Player and Sydney Miles the league’s Rookie of the Year.
** Having Jenny McDowell named as the AVCA South Region Coach of
the Year for the second straight season and the fifth time during
her career (2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012).
** Playing a total of 12 matches against teams that were ranked in
the top 25 and finishing 9-3 in those encounters. The Eagles
defeated four squads that were ranked in the top 10 at the time of
the match with a 3-2 decision over No. 1-ranked Washington
University (Nov. 3) the highest-ranked foe that it beat during the
year.
** The Woodruff PE Center provided Emory with a definite
home-court advantage with the squad recording a 13-2
slate. Over the last nine years, the Eagles stand
an impressive 137-18 in home matches (74-6 since 2008).
** During the regular season, playing a total of 17 matches
against 15 teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament and recording
a 14-3 effort in those affairs.
Breanah Bourque closed out her career in a
big way, landing AVCA First Team All-America honors for the second
straight season while earning First Team All-UAA acclaim for the
third straight campaign. Bourque, who was also named the
conference’s MVP, topped both the team and the league, while
ranking seventh nationally, with a .398 hitting percentage with
that mark placing seventh on the Eagles’ seasonal list.
Bourque, who compiled 29 matches of double-figure kills, pounded
out 511 terminations during the year, tying for the second-highest
individual season effort in school annals. She finished her
four-year tenure with the program in the No. 1 spot in career
hitting percentage (.390) and in the No. 5 position with 1,532
kills. A formidable defensive presence at the net, she holds down
the No. 5 slots in total blocks (393) and block assists (282).
Freshman setter Sydney
Miles filled in nicely for the graduated Natalie
Schonefeld and was afforded a variety of honors including a First
Team All-America nod by the AVCA. Miles finished out the year
tops in the UAA and 10th on the national scene with a
10.74 assists-per-set average, with that effort third on the
school’s seasonal chart. Miles, A First Team
All-UAA as well as the conference’s Rookie of the Year award
recipient, doled out 1,385 assists, eighth on the school’s
seasonal list, and her dependable play helped the Eagles finish the
season ranked 12th among all Division III programs in
hitting percentage.
Senior middle Alex Duhl played a key
role in the team’s success, seeing action in all 39 matches
and in 147 out of a possible 148 sets. Duhl’s
all-around performance throughout the season enabled her to claim
Second Team All-America acclaim. A First Team All-UAA pick, she was
second on the team and fifth on the league ladder in hitting
percentage (.299) while her 2.24 kills-per-set mark ranked her
among the conference’s top-20 performers. Defensively,
she was sixth in the league in blocks (0.72 bps) and her 81 blocks
assists placed her 15th on the Eagles’ seasonal
listing. Career-wise, Duhl ranks eighth on Emory’s
all-time ladder with a .319 attack percentage (705-191—1612)
and is 11th in total blocks.
A pair of Emory veterans, Alena
Ransom and Taylor Trew, closed
out their four-year careers helping the program to 139
wins, three UAA titles and one appearance in the national
championship match. Ransom played in a total of 108 matches
and averaged 1.47 kills and 0.47 blocks per set while Trew
concluded her stint as an Eagle play appearing in 32 matches.
American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America |
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Breanah Bourque |
First Team |
Houston, TX |
Sydney Miles |
First Team |
Oklahoma City, OK |
Alex Duhl |
Second Team |
Los Angeles, CA |
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AVCA All-South Region |
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Breanah Bourque |
Senior |
Houston, TX |
Alex Duhl |
Senior |
Los Angeles, CA |
Sydney Miles |
Freshman |
Oklahoma City, OK |
Taylor Erwin (HM) |
Freshman |
Woodlands, TX |
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University Athletic Association Most Valuable Player |
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Breanah Bourque |
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University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year | ||
Sydney Miles | ||
All-University Athletic Associatiom |
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Breanah Bourque |
First Team |
Houston, TX |
Alex Duhl |
First Team |
Los Angeles, CA |
Sydney Miles |
First Team |
Oklahoma City, OK |
Taylor Erwin |
Hon. Mention |
Woodlands, TX |
Cami Silverman |
Hon Mention |
Bellevue, WA |
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University Athletic Association Player Of The Week |
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Breanah Bourque |
Sept. 4 |
Houston, TX |
Kate Bowman (co) |
Sept. 17 |
Corpus Christi, TX |
Breanah Bourque |
Sept. 24 |
Houston, TX |
Sydney Miles |
Oct. 1 |
Oklahoma City, OK |
Breanah Bourque (co) |
Oct. 22 |
Houston, TX |
Taylor Erwin (defense) | Oct. 22 | Woodlands, TX |
Breanah Bourque | Nov. 12 | Houston, TX |
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Emory Classic All-Tournament Team (Sept. 7-8) |
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Alex Duhl |
Los Angeles, CA |
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Kate Bowman |
Corpus Christi, TX |
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Breanah Bourque |
Houston, TX |
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Trinity Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 14-15) |
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Breanah Bourque |
Houston, TX |
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Emory Invitational Tournament All-Tournament Team (Sept. 21-22) |
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Breanah Bourque (MVP) |
Houston, TX |
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Cat McGrath |
St. Louis, MO |
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Alex Duhl |
Los Angeles, CA |
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Wid Guisler All-Tournament Team (Oct. 19-20) |
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Breanah Bourque (MVP) |
Houston, TX |
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Alex Duhl |
Los Angeles, CA |
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Taylor Erwin |
Woodlands, TX |
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Emory National Invitational All-Tournament Team (Oct. 26-27) |
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Breanah Bourque |
Houston, TX |
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Leah Jacobs |
Linville, VA |
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Newport News Regional All-Tournament Team (Nov. 9-11) |
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Breanah Bourque |
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AVCA South Region Coach of the Year |
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Jenny McDowell |