The Emory University volleyball team posted the program's 13th consecutive winning
season in 2006, finishing the year with a 28-11 record that included the school's 11th straight NCAA Tournament bid where it advanced to the regional finals  The team's 28 victories represented the 16th straight year of 20 or more wins for the Eagles.  Emory's record included a 10-2 ledger in University Athletic Association contests, good for second place. Emory concluded the campaign ranked No. 10 in the nation.

The 2006 season was a testament to perseverance and dedication as Emory battled through injuries that forced Head Coach Jenny McDowell to juggle the lineup on a regular basis. With 2005 NCAA Player of the Year Courtney Rose sidelined the entire season due to injury and veteran stalwarts Janet Bunning and Dani Huffman missing parts of the year with ailments, the Eagles saw a number of players step up to meet the challenge of filling those voids.

As usual, the Eagles played an extremely competitive schedule that featured 12 regular-season matches against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.  Emory won its own Classic Tournament the weekend of Sept. 8-9, posting four wins including a 3-0 sweep of eventual NCAA Tournament participant Hiram College.  Emory came away with wins over top-20 teams in back-to-back weekends, topping No. 15 Austin College at the Southwestern University Invitational (Sept. 16) and No. 16 Mount St. Joseph's (Sept. 23).   Other key wins against ranked teams included a pair of wins over New York University (ranked 14th and 19th) and another triumph against No. 19 Austin College in the NCAA Tournament.

When in the lineup, junior Janet Bunning was a steadying force for the team.  Bunning earned first team All-America honors after ranking as the team's leader in kills (3.89 kpg), blocks per game (1.29 bpg) and hitting percentage (36.0%).  She posted double-figure kills in 18 of the 25 matches she appeared in and chalked up 13 double-doubles (kills/digs).  Among UAA players, she ranked third in hitting percentage, third in kills per game, fourth in blocks and 13th in digs (3.35 dpg). Bunning's career-high 25 kills in a five-game battle against No. 2-ranked Washington University was the high-water mark by an Emory player this season and tied her for 10th-place on the school's match list.

Bolstering the fortunes of the squad was Alysee Meyer who was named the Division III Freshman of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).  A third-team All-American, The 6-foot outside hitter emerged as a dominant offensive force, finishing second on the team and fourth among UAA players in kills per game (3.52 kpg) and 10th in the league (first among UAA frosh) with a 31.8 hitting percentage.  She recorded 22 matches of double-figure kills and her kills total placed her in a tie for 19th-place on the school's seasonal chart. In addition, Meyer was also tabbed at the UAA's Rookie of the Year Award winner.

Sophomores Maggie Baird and Madison Robelen both earned first team All-UAA recognition while junior Maggie Ramm garnered second-team acclaim.

Baird, an honorable-mention pick in 2005, was a consistent and productive force from her right side position.  In overall play, Baird averaged 2.34 kills per game and posted a 31.4 hitting percentage.  Those averages increased significantly in conference action to  2.73 kills per game and a 38.1 attack percentage, good for the No. 4 spot on the league chart.   

Robelen directed the Eagles' offense with precision all season from her setter position, averaging 10.7 assists per game in overall play, good for the No. 2 spot among UAA performers.  In conference affairs, she averaged a league-best 13.24 assists per game.  Her setting helped Emory to a No. 1 position in hitting percentage among UAA teams for league games (34.9%) while the squad's overall mark of 28.2 percent placed it No. 2 in the UAA and No. 8 nationally.  Her 1,413 assists enabled her to claim the No. 2 position on the school's seasonal list.

Ramm established herself as one of the premier defensive specialists in Emory history and smashed the school season record for digs with 558.  Holding down the No. 3 spot among UAA players in digs (4.54 dpg).  Ramm totaled 31 matches of double-figure digs including nine outings of 20 or more.  Ramm established a school-match record with 38 digs against Austin College in the NCAA Tournament.  She was recognized for her play by the UAA and was selected as the league's Libero of the Week on three occasions in 2006.

As a team, the Eagles established school seasonal records in assists per game (13.79 apg), total digs (2,564), digs per game (18.06 dpg), solo blocks (143) and total blocks (393).  On the national scene, Emory ranked 14th in the nation in assists per game, 27th in blocks per game (2.77 bpg) and 10th in kills per game (15.46 kpg).

American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Team
Janet Bunning                   First Team                Washington, DC (Woodrow Wilson)
Alysee Meyer                   Third Team             Stockton, CA (Lincoln)

AVCA Freshman of the Year
Alysee Meyer                     (one winner)                             Stockton, CA (Lincoln)
                                                                 
NCAA Division III All-South
Janet Bunning                           (one team)                          Washington DC (Woodrow Wilson)
Alysee Meyer                           (one team)                          Stockton, CA (Lincoln)
Madison Robelen               Honorable Mention                   Boca Raton, FL (Spanish River)

NCAA Division III South Region Freshman of the Year
Alysee Meyer                      (one winner)                      Stockton, CA (Lincoln)

All-University Athletic Association (UAA)
Maggie Baird                         First Team                       San Antonio, TX (Winston Churchill)
Madison Robelen                  First Team                       Boca Raton, FL (Spanish River)
Alysee Meyer                        Second Team                  Stockton, CA (Lincoln)
Maggie Ramm                       Second Team                  Tampa, FL (H.B. Plant)
Janet Bunning                        Honorable Mention          Washington, D.C. (Woodrow Wilson)

UAA Rookie of the Year
Alysee Meyer                           (one winner)                 Stockton, CA (Lincoln)

Southwestern University Invitational All-Tournament Team
Dani Huffman                                                               San Diego, CA (Scripps Ranch)

Emory Classic All-Tournament Team
Janet Bunning                           MVP                            Washington, D.C. (Woodrow Wilson)
Dani Huffman                                                               San Diego, CA (Scripps Ranch)

Emory Invitational All-Tournament Team
Madison Robelen                                                         Boca Raton, FL (Spanish River)
Janet Bunning                                                               Washington, D.C. (Woodrow Wilson)                    

Emory National Invitational All-Tournament Team
Janet Bunning                           MVP                            Washington, D.C. (Woodrow Wilson)
Madison Robelen                                                         Boca Raton, FL (Spanish River)
Maggie Baird                                                    San Antonio, TX  (Winston Churchill)
Maggie Ramm                                                              Tampa, FL (H.B. Plant)

UAA  Player of the Week
Dani Huffman                           Sept. 19, 2006             San Diego, CA (Scripps Ranch)
Maggie Ramm                          Oct. 3, 2006                Tampa, FL (H.B. Plant)
Maggie Ramm                          Oct. 10, 2006              Tampa, FL (H.B. Plant)
Janet Bunning                           Oct. 17, 2006              Washington, D.C. (Woodrow Wilson)
Madison Robelen                     Oct. 24, 2006              Boca Raton, FL (Spanish River)
Maggie Ramm                          Nov. 14, 2006             Tampa, FL (H.B. Plant)