The Emory University volleyball team had four members honored on Wednesday afternoon by being chosen as All-Region selections by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Junior Deborah Hong earned Region VI Player of the Year honors while first-year head coach Brianna Jones took home Region VI Coach of the Year recognition.
Along with Hong earning first team honors was junior Madison Cail, her second All-Region selection and the only first team honor of her career so far. Fellow junior Alana Dawson also picked up first-team honors, the first time of her career while senior Carly Wallace was also named to the All-Region first team for the first time.
Hong had one of the best seasons of her Emory career this season helping the Eagles to a 24-2 record and a national ranking as high as No. 4. She led the team with 500 total digs and service aces (42). She also showed out in conference play totaling 130 digs and averaging 4.64 against UAA opponents. Hong posted a career-high 32 digs against then ranked No. 22 Mary Washington (Oct. 28) followed by a 27-digs game against then ranked No. 11 Berry (Nov. 4) to conclude the Emory Classic Tournament.
Cail also had one of the best seasons of her career and became a major asset for the Eagles' success this season totaling 200 kills during the season with eight double digit kill games. She posted a season and career best 16 kills against then ranked No. 12 WashU while leading the UAA with a .353 hitting percentage (200-46—436). Cail helped to patrol the net this season finishing first on the team and third in the conference with 93 blocks, 24 solo and had a career-best eight blocks against Averett (Oct. 28) and had four six-block matches this season.
Wallace will set her name in the record books at Emory and has continued to be an impressive member of the Eagles' squad this season. She totaled 293 digs and 221 kills to finish second on the team and she finished eighth in the conference in total digs. Wallace posted a season and career-high 28 digs against then ranked No. 7 NYU (Nov. 11) in the UAA Championships and recorded 13 kills in the title match. In the final game of the Emory Classic Tournament, she recorded a season-high 16 kills against then ranked No. 13 Berry (Nov. 4).
Another Eagle with a career-best season, Alana Dawson earned her way to a spot on the Region VI All-Region first team. Dawson finished third on the team with 215 total kills and finished second on the team in hitting percentage (.316). Her accuracy helped her to a third place finish in the UAA conference in hitting percentage and she finished just outside of the top 10 in kills per set (2.29). Dawson shined during conference play to lead the team with 73 kills in UAA action including a season and career-high 20 kills against then ranked No. 12 ranked WashU and 23 combined against Rochester and Carnegie Mellon earlier this season.
The Eagles are in the midst of a post season battle where they will face Meredith College in the first round of the Mount Berry Regional on Thursday, November 16 at 2 pm.