2018 UAA Volleyball Championships Website
The No. 11-ranked Emory volleyball program eagerly awaits this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 2-3) when it ventures to Rochester, NY, to compete in the 2018 University Athletic Association Championships.
The Eagles of Head Coach Jenny McDowell, 21-6 overall, enter the Championships as the No. 1 seed with a league mark of 6-1. Emory's opening-round foe will be No. 8 seed Brandeis (11-16, 0-7), with that bout taking place at noon on Friday. The winner of that contest advances to the semifinals later that day (4:00 pm) to meet the winner of the Carnegie Mellon (#4 seed) vs. Case Western Reserve (#5 seed) clash. The championship match is slated for a 1:00 pm start on Saturday, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA D-III Tournament. Below is schedule of the UAA Championships.
Friday, Nov. 2
12:00 pm – Match A – Emory vs. Brandeis
12:00 pm – Match D – Chicago vs. Rochester
2:00 pm – Match B – Carnegie Mellon vs. Case Western
2:00 pm – Match C – Washington University vs. NYU
4:00 pm -- Match G – Winner of Match A vs. Winner of Match B
4:00 pm – Match H – Winner of Match C vs. Winner of Match D
6:00 pm -- Match E – Loser of Match A vs. Loser of Match B
6:00 pm – Match F – Loser of Match C vs. Loser of Match D
Saturday, Nov. 4
10:00 am – 7th place match – Loser of Match E vs. Loser of Match F
10:00 am – 5th place match – Winner of Match E vs. Winner of Match F
10:00 am – 3rd place match – Loser of Match G vs. Loser of Match H
1:00 pm – Championship Match
A total of three UAA teams are ranked in this week's AVCA Top 25. In addition to Emory, Chicago is No. 10 and Washington U is No. 13.
Emory heads into the UAA Championships with wins in eight of its past nine outings. Most recently, the Eagles finished with a 3-1 mark at their National Invitational Tournament this past weekend. Emory swept Salem, Randolph-Macon and Washington and Lee, before dropping a 3-1 verdict to Birmingham Southern.
At the start of this weekend's action, the Eagles hold down the No. 2 spot among conference squads with a .241 hitting percentage. Emory has hit .300 or better in eight contests this year and has enjoyed an edge in that category in 21 matches. Senior Karissa Dzurik paces the team and is ninth on the conference chart with a 3.08 kills-per-set average, registering a team-high 18 matches of double-figure kills. The Eagles average 13.37 kills per set, second in the UAA and tied for 22nd among all D-III schools. Senior setter Mady Arles has directed the Emory offense by doling out 10.26 assists per set, with that effort second in the league and 27th nationally.
Defensively, Emory has been solid, limiting the opposition to a .138 hitting percentage that stands second in the conference. The Eagles have held nine foes to a hitting percentage of less than .100, with six of those opponents ending up with a minus percentage. Junior libero Elyse Thompson has played a key role in that defensive effort, averaging a team-high 4.41 digs per set, good for the No. 4 spot on the league ladder. Thompson has logged 24 matches of double-figure digs, including seven of 20 or more.
Emory finished runner-up at last year's Championships, dropping a four-set decision to Washington University in the finals. The Eagles enter this weekend having captured five of the last nine conference crowns.
EAGLES AND THEIR HONORS -- The following is a list of various honors that Emory players have received this season
Emory Classic All-Tournament Team (Aug. 31-Sept. 1)
Morgan McKnight
Leah Saunders
Emory National Classic All-Tournament Team (Sept. 6-8)
Karissa Dzurik (MVP)
Mady Arles
Leah Saunders
East-West Challenge All-Tournament Team (Sept. 14-15)
Mady Arles
UAA Player of the Week
Finn Wilkins – Sept. 10
Karissa Dzurik – Oct. 15
Mady Arles – Oct. 15