EMORY'S DANI HUFFMAN EARNS CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS

(Nov. 28) - Emory University junior middle hitter Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA), a key member of the Eagles' volleyball team, was recently named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Third Team.   

The honor is awarded annually to student athletes who have excelled both academically and athletically.  To be eligible, a nominee must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at his/her current institution, carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) and be a starter or key reserve.

Huffman's play helped the Eagles to an overall record of 33-7 this season that included a University Athletic Association Tournament championship as well as the program's 12th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.  She played in a total of 123 games over the course of 39 matches and ranked second on the team and among University Athletic Association players with a .389 hitting percentage.  She recorded double-figure kills in 23 matches and her 3.20 kills per game mark was good for the No. 8 position among league players. A formidable defensive presence at the net, her 1.02 blocks per game paced the team and ranked her third in the UAA.  An excellent student, she posts a GPA of 3.82 and is majoring in American Studies with a minor in French.

Voting for the Academic All-District team is conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  Emory nominees represent the "college division" in District 3 which is composed of NCAA Division II and III, and NAIA schools in the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.  

EMORY VOLLEYBALL DROPS NCAA QUARTERFINAL MATCH TO WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY - FINISHES YEAR 33-7
           
(Nov. 15) - The No. 3-ranked Emory University volleyball team saw its season come to an end Thursday evening as it came out on the short end of a four-game decision to No. 4-ranked Washington University in NCAA quarterfinal action.  The Bears advance to the national semifinals following a 30-19, 21-30, 30-27, 30-18 victory over the Eagles.  Emory closes out its season at 33-7 while Washington Univ., boosted its record to 31-5.

In a defensive-oriented match that saw both squads hit well below their season average, the Bears grabbed control of the hotly-contested match midway through the third game.  After the teams split the first two games, Emory took a 14-9 lead in game three following a kill by junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA).  However, Washington responded with a 14-5 run to assume a 23-19 advantage.  After falling behind by a 29-24 count, the Eagles stayed alive with three straight points on a kill by junior Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX), a service ace by sophomore Vista Murphy and a kill by senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC).  Despite the late charge, the rally fell short.

In the fourth game, Emory trailed by an 8-7 margin before six straight points increased the Bears' advantage to 14-7.  The closest the Eagles were able to from that point was six points.

After dropping the first game, Emory bounced back in strong fashion in game two, racing out to an insurmountable 14-4 cushion en route to the win.  The Eagles used a sterling defensive performance, limiting the Bears to just a .017 attack percentage.

Bunning led Emory's offensive attack with 17 kills while contributing 13 digs, her 12th double-double of the year.  Baird registered a season-high tying 16 kills, her 11th  outing of double digits in that category.  Sophomore Alysee Meyer (Stockton, CA) and Huffman rounded out the team's double-figure attackers with 14 and 11, respectively.  Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) dished out 58 assists while senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) led all players with 31 digs.       

For the match, Emory finished with a .189 hitting percentage (66-29-196) while Washington Univ., posted a .237 mark (66-20-194).  The Eagles held a 95-84 edge in digs while the Bears finished with a 15-6 advantage in total blocks.

NO. 3-RANKED EMORY VOLLEYBALL SQUAD BATTLES UAA RIVAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN NCAA QUARTERFINAL ACTION

(Nov. 13) - MATCH FACTS - The No. 3-ranked Emory University volleyball team will be facing a familiar foe on Thursday (Nov. 15) when it battles arch-rival Washington University in a NCAA Tournament quarterfinal round contest starting at 6:00 p.m. (CST).  The winner of the match advances to the national semifinals on Friday to play the winner of the Wittenberg vs. Stevens Institute of Technology match.  The national championship game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m.

Serving as the host institution for the quarterfinals, finals and finals will be Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Illinois.  All matches will be conducted at the Shirk Center on the IWU campus.

The eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals with the matches and times (all CST) to be played is as follows.

Quarterfinal #1 - Wisconsin-Whitewater (34-4) vs. Puget Sound (20-8) - 1:00 pm
Quarterfinal #2 - Amherst (30-4) vs. Juniata (36-4) - 3:30 pm
Quarterfinal #3 - Washington Univ. (30-5) vs. Emory (33-6) - 6:00 pm
Quarterfinal #4 - Wittenberg (37-0) vs. Stevens Institute of Technology (36-4) - 8:30 pm

Friday, Nov. 16
Semifinal #1 - 4:30 pm
Semifinal #2 - 7:00 pm

Saturday, Nov. 17
National championship game - 7:00 p.m.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 371-105.  She has nine campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 12 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Washington University is led by ninth-year head coach Rich Luenemann (Eastern Illinois, '72).  Heading into Thursday's action, Luenemann has a school mark of 311-41 that includes a national championship in 2003.  In 27 years of college coach, that includes an 18-year stint at St. Francis (1981-1998), Luenemann has compiled a career record of 901-303.

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 3 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, checks in with an overall record of 33-6.  The Eagles are on a hot streak having won their last 10 and 14 of their last 15 contests. Included in that stretch is a 3-2 decision against Washington University in the finals of the UAA Championships.  Emory advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals after posting three impressive victories last weekend at the South Regional that was hosted by Austin College.  Emory opened play with a 3-0 win over Piedmont College before coming away with another 3-0 decision against Austin College.  In the region finals, the Eagles notched a solid 3-1 triumph over No. 3-ranked Trinity.

Emory's 33 wins ties the school's single-season mark for most victories and the squad's No. 3 national ranking is the highest for the program since the back-to-weeks of Nov. 8 & 15, 2005, when it held down the No. 1 position.

The Bears, who are ranked No. 4 in the CST/AVCA Poll, will take a record of 30-5 into its meeting with Emory.  The Bears have come away victorious in 23 of their last 24 outings with the setback to Emory the only blemish in that stretch. 

EMORY CONCLUDES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HOME CAMPAIGN - Emory turned in another successful home season in 2007, finishing with a 15-2 won-lost effort.  The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 238-46 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 63-11 mark over the last four seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 15-2 in 2007). 

RAMM ALL-TIME LEADER IN DIGS--  Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL)
continued to cement her standing as Emory's all-time leader in digs with her 42 digs last week at the NCAA South Region boosting her career total to 1,290.  So far this year, Ramm has notched 25 matches of double-figure digs.  She owns the top two Emory seasonal marks in digs including this year's effort of 543 which is just 16 shy of taking over the No. 1 spot.

EMORY OFFENSE IN HIGH GEAR - Heading into its NCAA quarterfinal bout against Washington University, Emory is showing an impressive hitting percentage of .313, good for the No. 1 spot among UAA teams.  The Eagles, who stood No. 2 nationally in that category in NCAA stats released Nov. 4, amassed a .345 attack percentage during last week's regional (185-49-394).  The team's hitting percentage currently ranks it No. 3 on the school's seasonal ladder. 

EMORY NOTES - Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL), the UAA leader in assists (13.32 apg),  assumed the No. 1 spot on the Eagles' seasonal chart for assists last weekend and now has 1,758 to her credit.  Robelen surpassed the previous standard of 1,622 held by Remley Dodge (2003) ... Career-wise, Robelen is second on the school's all-time list with 3,345 assists ... Madison's 62 assists against Trinity represented her sixth performance of 60 or more assists this season ... Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) finds herself in the No. 1 slot among UAA performers in hitting percentage (.408) and also ranks among the top 10 in kills (5th, 3.55 kpg) and blocks (6th, 0.90 bpg) ... Career-wise, Bunning cracked the 1,000-kills plateau last weekend and has 1,015 to her credit, good for the eighth position on the school's all-time list ...  In addition to her career kills mark, she has come with with 348 total blocks, fourth all-time at the school ... So far this year, Bunning has 11 double-doubles (kills/digs) to her credit ... Her 17 terminations against Trinity in the South Region championship contest was her 23rd outing of double digits in that category ... Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA), an honorable mention all-region pick this year, holds down the No. 2 spot on both the team and UAA charts with a .392 hitting percentage ... Huffman also figures prominently in the UAA categories of  kills per game (9th, 3.21 kpg) and blocks per game (1.03 bpg) ... Huffman's 123 total blocks this season in ninth on the Eagles' seasonal list ... Career-wise she is seventh all-time at Emory with 283 total blocks ... Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) could well be one of the hottest players entering the weekend after racking up a team-high 51 kills over 10 games (5.1 kpg) at the NCAA South Region ... The 6-foot Meyer has come up with double figures in kills in 11 of her last 13 matches (22 total on the year) and owns four performances of 20 or more in that stretch ... Meyer has registered a hitting percentage of .400 or higher in eight of her last nine contests and has come up with a blistering .446 percentage in her last seven matches (113-18-213) ...  Her 418 total kills paces the squad and ranks her sixth on Emory's seasonal chart ... Meyer is averaging a hefty 3.87 kills per game, good for the No. 2 slot among UAA players, while her .347 hitting percentage is fifth.

TWO EMORY VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS EARN AVCA ALL-AMERICA HONORS

(Nov. 13) - Two members of the No. 3-ranked Emory University volleyball team have earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honors for the 2007 season.  Senior middle blocker Janet Bunning (Washington, D.C.) was named a First Team All-American for the second consecutive season while junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) was chosen as a Second Team All-American. 

The 5-foot-10 Bunning has been an anchor on this year's team that will take an overall record of 33-6 into a NCAA quarterfinal on Thursday (Nov. 15) evening against Washington University.  Bunning ranks as the squad's and University Athletic Association's leader with a .408 hitting percentage which currently places her third on Emory's seasonal chart.  She stands second on the squad in both kills per game (3.55 kpg) and in blocks per game (0.90 bpg).  Bunning has posted double-figure kills in 23 of the 31 matches she has played while chalking up 11 double-doubles (kills/digs).  Career-wise, she currently ranks No. 1 on the Eagles' all-time listing in attack percentage (.367), eighth in kills (1,015) and fourth in total blocks (348).

Robelen, 5-foot-7, directed the Emory offense with a deft hand, and tops the UAA while ranking among the nation's leaders in assists with a 13.3 per-game average.  She dished out 60 or more assists in six matches including a career-high 68 against Washington University (Oct. 13), the third-highest single match total in school history.  Her setting prowess has helped Emory record a hitting percentage of .313, tops among UAA teams. She has established a school seasonal record this year with 1,758 assists and holds down the No. 2 spot on Emory's all-time list with 3,345.

Bunning and Robelen were recognized earlier with berths on the AVCA All-South Region Team.  It represented the third time that Bunning had landed a spot on that team and was Robelen's first appearance after garnering honorable-mention recognition last season.

Also drawing recognition on the All-South Region Team as honorable-mention choices were junior middle blocker Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) and senior libero Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL).  The 5-foot-11 Huffman stands No. 2 on the squad in hitting percentage (.392) and first in blocks (1.03 bpg).  Ramm, 5-foot-9, is averaging a team-high 4.60 digs per game.  She has 543 digs to her credit and is 16 shy of breaking the school single-season standard of 548 that she owns.

No. 5 EMORY VOLLEYBALL TOPS TRINITY -- ADVANCES TO NCAA QUARTERFINALS

(Nov. 10) - The No. 5-ranked Emory voleyball team captured the NCAA Tournament South Region championship Saturday evening with a four-game win over No. 3-ranked Trinity. The Eagles raised their record to 33-6 following a 29-31, 30-22, 32-30, 30-24 triumph over the Tigers.

The win propels Emory into the NCAA quarterfinal round where it will meet Washington University on Thursday (Nov. 15) in Bloomington, Illinois. In addition, the Eagles tied the school seasonal record for most wins.

Emory kept the Tigers off balance with a diversified hitting attack that saw four players finish with double-figure kills. Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) notched a team-high 20 kills and posted an attack percentage of .311. Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) churned out 17 terminations, 16 digs and five blocks (1-4) while junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) accounted for 16 kills en route to a .444 attack percentage. Junior Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX) rounded out the quartet with 11 successful attacks. Others playing key roles in the win included junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) with 62 assists, senior libero Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) with 24 digs and sophomore Kaitlin Westfall with eight timely kills.

"This was a methodical win with everybody really keyed in on their responsibilities," Assistant Coach Eric Hawes said. "We started a bit slow but we regrouped and really turned in a solid performance."

  EMORY VOLLEYBALL TOPS AUSTIN COLLEGE - ADVANCES TO SOUTH REGION FINALS
                                                                                            
(Nov. 9) - The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team continued its impressive play at the NCAA Tournament South Region Friday evening, defeating host and No. 11-ranked Austin College in three games.  The Eagles, the No. 2 seed in the region, raised their overall record to 32-6 after recording a 30-25 30-15, 30-21 decision over the No. 3-seeded Kangaroos who closed out their campaign with a 38-5 slate.

For the second consecutive night, Emory put on an offensive clinic, finishing the match with a .382 attack percentage (57-10-123) while limiting Austin to a mark of .132 (29-15-106).  Sophomore Alysse Meyer wreaked havoc on the Kangaroos, blasting away for 20 kills while chalking up a .576 attack percentage (20-1-33).  Junior Maggie Baird notched 14 terminations while senior Janet Bunning rounded out the team's double-digit attackers with 12 kills while chipping in 13 digs.  Junior setter Madison Robelen dished out 45 assists and led all players with 14 digs.

"We were pleased with how the players responded to playing in a tough environment," assistant coach Eric Hawes said.  "Austin fed off the crowd's energy early and jumped on us.  But the team scrapped back and hung in. Alysse was outstanding and couldn't be stopped and we have to give credit to Maggie, Janet and Maggie Ramm as well."

Emory advances to the regional championship match on Saturday evening where it will meet the No. 1 seed and No. 3-ranked Trinity (35-2) in a 7:00 pm start (CST).

EMORY VOLLEYBALL WELL REPRESENTED ON ALL-UAA TEAMS - JANET BUNNING NAMED MVP

(Nov. 9) - Six members of the Emory University volleyball team have been chosen to the 2007 All- University Athletic Association first or second team. The all-league teams were selected by the conference coaches.

Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) highlighted the Eagles' honorees by being named the conference's Most Valuable Player as well as gaining a first-team berth on the all-league team.  The 5-foot-10 middle blocker has been a jack-of-all trades this season and leads the team and the UAA with a .406 attack percentage.  Bunning, who has posted double-figure kills in 21 of her 29 matches this season, also ranks prominently among UAA performers in several other categories including kills per game (5th, 3.50 kpg), blocks (0.81 bpg) and digs (25th, 2.22 dpg).  Bunning is the third Emory player to have been chosen as the UAA's MVP. 

Joining Bunning on the first team are juniors Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) and Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) and senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL).  Junior Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX) and sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) brought home second-team recognition. 

Huffman has been another key contributor for the Eagles this year, compiling a .401 hitting percentage, good for the No. 2 spot on both the team's and UAA's chart.  In addition, her blistering .531 hitting percentage in league play by far ranked as the conference's No. 1 mark.  The 5-foot-11 Huffman has registered 22 matches of double-figure terminations this season and her 3.24 kills per-game in overall action average place eighth in the league. Huffman owns three of the squad's top-five hitting percentages this year including a .800 performance against New York University on Sept. 30.  She has been an effective force at the net and her 1.06 blocks per-game average tops the club and is No. 2 in the UAA.

Robelen became Emory's single-season leader in assists following the team's NCAA win against Piedmont College Thursday evening and now has 1,651 to her credit.  Robelen paces the UAA in assists per game (13.2 apg) and her precision-like skills play a primary role in the Eagles holding down the No. 1 spot in the conference in hitting percentage. It marks the second-straight campaign that she has earned a first-team nod on the All-UAA Team.

Ramm's defensive play from her libero position culminated in her establishing a school career record in digs while holding down the No. 3 spot in the UAA in digs per game.  Ramm, a second team All-UAA pick last season, has compiled 24 matches of 10 or more digs including seven outings of 25 or more.  She holds the top two school marks for most digs in a season.  
Baird, a first-team selection last year, was a consistent and productive force from her right side position. In overall play, Baird has averaged 2.11 kills per game while posting a .254 attack percentage.  In conference action, her kills per-game average rose slightly to 2.16 per game while her attack percentage zoomed to .370, good for the No. 6 spot among on all league players.

Meyer, the 2006 UAA Rookie of the Year, turned in a strong second half of the season and finished sixth among conference spikers in overall hitting percentage (.337) and fourth in conference affairs (.397).  The 6-foot Meyer averaged 3.74 kills per game in overall play, good for the No. 3 position on the conference ladder, while her 3.72 per-game showing in league outings placed her second. 

Finally, the Emory staff of Head Coach Jenny McDowell along with assistants Amanda Metz, Eric Hawes and Justin Hart, were tabbed as the UAA's Coaching Staff of the Year.  It marks the fourth time that a McDowell-led staff has earned that honor (1996, 2000, 2005, 2007).

Emory, 31-6 overall and ranked No. 5 in the nation, plays at Austin College in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament's South Region on Friday, Nov. 10, starting at 7:00 p.m. (CST).

EMORY VOLLEYBALL BREEZES BY PIEDMONT IN NCAA OPENER
           
(Nov. 8) - The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team turned in a dominating performance in its NCAA Tournament opening match, defeating Piedmont College in three games.  The Eagles, the No. 2 seed in the South Region, raised their record to 31-6 after posting a 30-13, 30-15, 30-9 triumph over the No. 7-seeded Lions who closed out their campaign with a 24-9 mark.  The South Region is being played in Sherman, Texas, and hosted by Austin College.

The Eagles put on another impressive all-around performance, finishing the contest with a .418 attack percentage while holding Piedmont to a paltry .014 effort.  Emory had a trio of players notch 11 kills with all three hitting well over .400.  Junior Maggie Baird (11-2-15), senior Janet Bunning (11-1-21) and sophomore Alysse Meyer (11-1-22) tied for the team lead in terminations and accounted for 33 of the team's 48 kills.  Piedmont finished the match with 16 kills.

Senior libero Maggie Ramm doled out seven of the team's season-high 18 service aces and came with nine digs while junior setter Madison Robelen dished out 35 assists. 

"We played with confidence and really never let Piedmont into the match," assistant coach Eric Hawes said.  "The players were focused and determined not to have any letdowns."

Emory advances to the regional semifinal on Friday evening where it will play the winner of the Texas Lutheran vs. Austin College contest.

NO. 5-RANKED EMORY VOLLEYBALL SQUAD EYES NCAA ACTION - HOLDS DOWN NO. 2 SEED IN SOUTH REGION

(Nov. 6) - MATCH FACTS - The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team
heads to Sherman, Texas, and the campus of Austin College this week in NCAA Tournament action.  The Eagles are part of a seven-team regional and hold down the No. 2 seed.  Emory gets underway on Thursday (Nov. 8) when it battles No. 7 seed Piedmont College in a 6:00 p.m. (CST) start. Washington & Lee (No. 5 seed) and Southwestern (No. 4) start things off with a 3:30 p.m. bout while No. 6 seed Texas Lutheran and No. 3 seed Austin College close out the first day with an 8:30 p.m. affair.  The winner of the Emory-Piedmont match advances to Friday to play the winner of Texas Lutheran Austin College showdown. 

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 368-105.  She has nine campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 12 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Leading Piedmont is eighth-year head coach Katie O'Brien.  Heading into the NCAA Tournament, O'Brien has a school and career record of 178-108.

Ed Garza (Ouachita Baptist, '86) is in his 10th season as the head coach of the Austin College program and brings a school record of 255-97 into the weekend. In 12seasons as a head coach, Garza posts a 305-109 slate.

Texas Lutheran is led by Tiffany Davis (Texas State, '03) who is in her second campaign with the Bulldogs.  During her stint at TLU, Davis has a 40-17 won-lost mark.

Julie Jenkins (William & Mary, '81) is in her 23rd season as the head coach of Trinity and checks into NCAA Tournament action with a school mark of 611-269.  Jenkins has directed the Tigers to 16 straight trips to the NCAAs. She owns a career record of 640-290.

The Generals of Washington & Lee are led by eighth-year head coach Bryan Snyder (Washington & Lee, '95).  Snyder, who has guided W&L to seven consecutive NCAA bids, has registered a school and career effort of 235-53.

Hannah Long is in her fourth season at the helm of Southwestern University and has compiled a school and career record of 121-35.  

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 5 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, claims an overall record of 30-6.  The Eagles are coming off a championship performance at the University Athletic Association Tournament last weekend, topping Washington University in five games in the title match. 

Piedmont College will meet Emory with an overall mark of 24-8 after claiming the Great South Athletic Conference Tournament this past weekend.   This marks the Lions' first-ever NCAA appearance.

The Bulldogs of Texas Lutheran are the champions of the American Southwest Conference and stand 22-6.  This is TLU's second-ever NCAA trip.

Austin College, ranked No. 11 in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, sports an impressive record of 37-4.  The Lady Kangaroos earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Trinity, the No. 1 seed of the South Region, looks to improve upon its 34-2 record.  The Tigers brought home a championship in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend. 

Washington & Lee boasts a 29-5 won-lost effort.  The Generals have seven straight NCAA berths to their credit.

The Pirates of Southwestern check in with a 29-11 slate.

SERIES RECORDS - Emory posts a 4-0 all-time record vs. Piedmont. Earlier this year (Sept. 21), the Eagles recorded a 3-0 win at home.

Emory holds a 15-1 edge in the all-time series against Washington & Lee.  The Eagles topped the Generals, 3-0, back on Sept. 21 of this year.

Trinity stands 9-7 against Emory.  In the last meeting between the schools, the Pirates ended the Eagles' 2006 campaign with a 3-1 win in the NCAA Tournament South Region final.

Emory claims a 10-4 bulge in the all-time series against Southwestern.

The Eagles have emerged victorious in all seven matches against Texas Lutheran and are 4-0 against Austin College.

EMORY CONCLUDES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HOME CAMPAIGN - Emory turned in another successful home season in 2007, finishing with a 15-2 won-lost effort.  The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 238-46 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 63-11 mark over the last four seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 15-2 in 2007). 

RAMM ALL-TIME LEADER IN DIGS--  Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL)
continued to cement her standing as Emory's all-time leader in digs with her 62 digs last week at the UAA Championships boosting her career total to 1,248.  So far this year, Ramm has notched 24 matches of double-figure digs and is tied for third among UAA players with a 4.64 digs per-game average.

EMORY NOTES - Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL), the UAA leader in assists (13.25 apg), has doled out 1,616 assists this season and stands second on the Eagles' seasonal chart behind only Remley Dodge's No. 1 mark of 1,622 set during the 2003 season ... Career-wise, Robelen is third on the school's all-time list with 3,203 assists ... Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) finds herself in the No. 1 slot among UAA performers in hitting percentage (.406) and also ranks among the top 10 in kills (5th, 3.50 kpg) and blocks (6th, 0.81 bpg) ... Career-wise, Bunning has amassed 975 kills and holds down the ninth spot on the Eagles' all-time ladder ... So far this year, Bunning has nine double-doubles (kills/digs) to her credit ... Her 21 terminations against Washington University in the UAA Championship contest tied her second-highest effort of the season and was her 20th outing of double digits in that category ... Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) hit an outstanding .514 (43-6-72) during the UAA championships and now stands No. 2 among UAA performers in hitting percentage (.401) ... Huffman has played in 35 of the team's 36 matches and has totaled 21 efforts of double-figure kills including eight of her last nine outings ... Huffman also ranks eighth in the league in kills per game (3.24 kpg) and is No. 2 in blocks (1.06 bpg) ... Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) slammed away for a career-high 26 kills against Washington University last weekend, the high-water mark by any Emory player this season ... Meyer is sixth in the UAA in hitting percentage (.337) and No. 3 in kills per game (3.74 kpg).

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM ADVANCES TO NCAA TOURNAMENT - EARNS NO. 2 SEED IN SOUTH REGION

(Nov. 5) -The Emory University volleyball team will enter the upcoming NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament as the No. 2 in the South Region and will battle No. 7 seed Piedmont on Thursday (Nov. 8) in a 6:00 p.m. (CST) start.  All matches will be played at the Hughey Gym on the campus of Austin College located in Sherman, Texas.

Joining Emory and Piedmont in the South Regional include No. 1 seed Trinity (first-round bye), No. 3 seed Austin College, No. 4 seed Southwestern, No. 5 Washington & Lee and No. 6 Texas Lutheran.

A total of 61 teams will take part in this year's NCAA Division III Tournament with the goal of advancing to the finals held Nov. 15-17 in Bloomington, Illinois, and hosted by Illinois Wesleyan.

The Eagles of Head Coach Jenny McDowell earned an automatic bid to the NCAAs after capturing the University Athletic Association championship this past weekend, topping No. 4-ranked Washington University in five games.  Emory will be making its 12th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and enters the postseason with an overall slate of 30-6.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM CAPTURES UAA CHAMPIONSHIP - EARNS NCAA TOURNAMENT AUTOMATIC BID
           
The No. 8-ranked Emory University volleyball team brought home its second-ever University Athletic Association Championship Saturday with a thrilling five-game win over No. 4-ranked Washington University.  The Eagles battled to a 30-24, 24-30, 30-23, 28-30, 15-10 decision over the Bears and raised their overall record to 30-6.  The championship win enables Emory to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

In the fifth and deciding the score stood at 9-9 before the Eagles rattled off to take a commanding 14-9 advantage.  After a point by the Bears, Emory closed out the match.

"After the second game, we talked to the team about battling and being up for the challenge," Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell said following the match.  "The players responded to the challenge and it really was a total team victory.  We got so much volleyball out of so many players.  Janet (Bunning) gutted it out after spraining her ankle yesterday. Maggie Ramm came through and played like an experienced senior.  Alysse (Meyer) was unstoppable in games four and five and Madison Robelen probably set the best match she ever has since she has been at Emory."

Emory's 30th win represents the 10th time in school history that is has reached that total and ninth during McDowell's 12-year tenure at the school.

Bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament will be decided on Sunday evening.   

EMORY VOLLEYBALL OFF TO FAST START AT UAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
           
(Nov. 2) - The No. 8-ranked Emory University volleyball team rolled to a pair of easy wins on the opening day of pool play at the University Athletic Association Championships.  The Eagles topped the University of Chicago (30-15, 30-19, 30-15) and New York University (30-11, 30-14, 30-22) to increase their overall record to 28-6. 

Emory recorded a blistering hitting percentage of .600 against Chicago while holding the Maroons to .160.  Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) led a trio of Eagles to finish with double digits in kills with 12.  Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) and sophomore Kaitlin Westfall (St. Louis, MO) each totaled 10 terminations.  Junior Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) doled out 42 assists.

Emory's offensive attack was in high gear against the Violets of NYU with the team manufacturing a hitting percentage of .487.  Huffman, along with senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), notched 10 kills apiece while junior Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX) finished with eight.  Robelen dished out 33 assists while senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) came up with 10 digs.

Emory will play Brandeis University at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday with the winner advancing to the title match at 4:30 p.m.

NO. 8-RANKED EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM LOOKING FORWARD TO UAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Oct. 31) - MATCH FACTS - The No. 8-ranked Emory University volleyball team begins the "second season" this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 2-3) when it competes in the  University Athletic Association Championships.  Hosting this year's event is the University of Rochester.  The Eagles will play a pair of matches on Friday, starting with the University of Chicago at 10:00 a.m. and New York University at 12:30 p.m.  On Saturday, Emory will close out pool play with a contest against Brandeis University at 9:00 a.m.  The next matches that day will be determined following the Brandeis match.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 364-105.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Leading Chicago into this weekend is seventh-year head coach Dorinda von Tersch (Dayton, '90). 

Ed Caesar (NYU, '93) is in his sixth season as the head coach of the New York University program and brings a school and career record  of 198-57 into the weekend.

Brandeis is led by Michelle Kim (Binghamton, '96) who is in her fourth campaign with the Judges.  Prior to her current post, she served as an assistant coach at Brandeis from 1999 through 2003.

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 8 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, claims an overall record of 26-6 and enter the league championship as the No. 2 seed with a 6-1 record. In their most recent action, the Eagles posted win in three of four matches at the Emory National Invitational last weekend.

The University of Chicago will meet Emory with an overall mark of 7-2 and stands as the No. 7 seed in this weekend's action with a 1-6 loop record.  Last weekend, the Maroons split four matches at the Elmhurst Invitational en route to a third-place finish out of nine teams.

NYU, which will play Brandeis before taking on Emory, starts the weekend with a 16-16 overall slate (3-4 UAA).  The Violets finished fifth at the NYSWCAA Championships last weekend capturing two of three matches.  

Brandeis has enjoyed a solid campaign and enters the UAA Championships with an overall ledger of 23-8 (4-3 UAA).  Brandeis hosted the Judges Classic last weekend and captured all three of its matches. 

SERIES RECORDS - Emory posts a 22-11 all-time record vs. Chicago. Earlier this year (Oct. 14), the Eagles recorded a 3-0 win at the UAA Round Robin II.  

Emory holds a 24-13 edge in the all-time series against NYU.  The Eagles topped the Violets, 3-1, back on Sept. 30 at the UAA Round Robin I.

Emory enjoys a 26-6 advantage in the series against Brandeis.  The Eagles recorded a 3-0 triumph over the Judges earlier this season.

EMORY CONCLUDES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HOME CAMPAIGN - Emory turned in another successful home season in 2007, finishing with a 15-2 won-lost effort.  The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 238-46 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 63-11 mark over the last four seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 15-2 in 2007).  RAMM ALL-TIME LEADER IN DIGS--  Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) reached a historic milestone during the Emory National Invitational, establishing herself as the school's all-time leader in digs.  The 5-foot-9 Ramm recorded 103 digs over the weekend, increasing her career total 1,186.  Ramm surpassed the previous No. 1 standard of 1,174 held by Lauren Campbell (2000-03).  So far this year, Ramm has recorded 21 matches of double-figure digs and is No. 3 among UAA players with a 4.67 digs per-game average.

EMORY NOTES - Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL), the UAA leader in assists (13.3 apg), has doled out 1,436 assists this season and stands second on the Eagles' seasonal chart behind only Remley Dodge's No. 1 mark of 1,622 set during the 2003 season ... Career-wise, Robelen is third on the school's all-time list with 3,023 assists ... Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) finds herself in the No. 2 slot among UAA performers in hitting percentage (.387) and also ranks among the top 10 in kills (5th, 3.55 kpg) and blocks (7th, 0.84 bpg) ... Career-wise, Bunning has amassed 934 kills and holds down the 11th spot on the Eagles' all-time ladder ... So far this year, Bunning has eight double-doubles (kills/digs) to her credit ... Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) continues her torrid play and racked up a team-leading 63 kills during the Emory National Invitational ... Meyer is No. 1 on the club and No. 4 in the UAA in kills per game (3.63 kpg) while her hitting percentage of .318 places her seventh on the UAA chart ... Meyer, who registered a career-high 21 kills in the Birmingham Southern match, has 16 matches of double-figure kills this year.

EMORY'S ALYSSE MEYER & MAGGIE RAMM EARN UAA VOLLEYBALL HONORS

(Oct. 30) - Emory University sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) and senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) have been recognized by the University Athletic Association following their performances at the Emory National Invitational last weekend.  Meyer was tabbed as the league's Player of the Week while Ramm was selected as the Libero of the Week.

Meyer earned a spot on the all-tournament team, helping the Eagles to wins in three of four matches.  The 6-foot Meyer played in 14 of 15 games and registered a team-high 63 kills (4.50 kpg). The team leader in successful attacks in three matches, she posted a hitting percentage of .381 (63-13-131), tallied 16 digs and doled out five service aces.  In a five-game marathon against Birmingham Southern, she paced the squad with a career-high 21 kills while recording an attack percentage of .429 (21-3-42).  In a contest vs. No. 10-ranked Ohio Northern University, Meyer came up big again as she notched a team-leading 18 kills while chipping in six digs.  Finally, she tied her second-high kills figure when she recorded a team-best 19 terminations in a three-game triumph vs. Baldwin-Wallace College.  She leads the squad with a 3.63 kills per-game average and has 16 matches of double-digit kills to her credit.

Ramm was her usual dependable defensive presence, playing in all 15 games and finishing with 103 digs (6.87 dpg) while ranking as the match leader in digs in all four performances.  Ramm opened the weekend with a match-high 27 digs in the  Birmingham Southern contest before closing the day with 29 digs in a 3-1 win over Ohio Northern. Ramm notched 29 digs in a three-game decision against Baldwin Wallace before closing the weekend with 18 digs in a 3-0 win against Randolph-Macon.  Ramm has 439 digs this season and is No. 2 on the school's seasonal chart in that category.  It is the third time this season and sixth time in her career that she has been named Libero of the Week.Emory, ranked No. 8 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, will travel to Rochester, NY, this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 2-3) where it will compete at the UAA Championships.  The Eagles enter the weekend with an overall record of 26-6.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TOPS RANDOLPH-MACON

The No. 8-ranked Emory volleyball team closed out its weekend at the Emory National Invitational on a high note Saturday afternoon, defeating Randolph-Macon College in three games.  The Eagles boosted their overall record to 26-6 following a 30-13, 30-19, 30-20 triumph over the Yellow Jackets who slumped to 11-16.  Emory finished runner-up in the tournament with a 3-1 record while Birmingham Southern brought home the team title with a 4-0 mark.

Emory's offense was in high gear and finished the contest with a glittering .435 hitting percentage while limiting RMC to a .168 percentage.  Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), playing in her final home match, knocked down 16 kills while finishing with a .500 attack percentage (16-4-24).  Junior Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX) turned in her third straight performance of double-digit attacks with 14 terminations, her second-highest total of the season. Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) dished out 48 assists and chalked up 13 digs while senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL), also making her home farewell, led all players with 18 digs.

Emory resumes action next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 2-3) when it ventures to Rochester, NY, to compete in the University Athletic Association Championships. 

EMORY VOLLEYBALL BREEZES BY BALDWIN-WALLACE

The No. 8-ranked Emory volleyball team opened Saturday's action at the Emory National Invitational with a three-game win over Baldwin-Wallace College.  The Eagles topped the Yellowjackets, 30-22, 30-16, 30-14, raising their record to 25-6.  With the loss, Baldwin-Wallace fell to 18-13.

The Eagles' offense was effective, posting a .338 hitting percentage (63-14-145) compared to BWC's .109 (33-18-138).  Emory had four players finish with double figures in kills, led by sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) who finished with a match-high 19.  Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) notched 15 kills and 12 digs while juniors Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) and Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX) each notched 11 terminations.

Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) posted 52 assists while senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) led all players with 29 digs.

The Eagles close out the Invitational with a 4:30 match against Randolph-Macon College.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL SPLITS A PAIR OF MATCHES ON OPENING DAY OF EMORY NATIONAL INVITATIONAL

(Oct. 26) - The No. 8-ranked Emory volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of play of the Emory National Invitational.  The Eagles dropped an intense five-game decision to Birmingham Southern (30-23, 18-30, 27-30, 33-31, 14-16) before bouncing back to post a four-game win over No. 10-ranked Ohio Northern University (32-34, 30-25, 30-21, 30-22).  The split leaves Emory's record at 24-6.

The Eagles used a solid defensive effort in the opening game against Birmingham Southern, holding the Panthers to a .075 hitting percentage in taking a 1-0 lead.  However, BSC roared back in games two and three, hitting a combined .296 in that stretch to claim a 2-1 games lead.  The fourth game was a battle from the start and Emory faced match points at 29-30 and 30-31 before rallying to claim the last three points to force a fifth game.  Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) played a key role in game four, racking up eight of her 19 total kills.  Birmingham Southern appeared to have the fifth game well in hand as it sprinted to a 9-2 advantage.  However a Maggie Ramm service ace capped a 10-3 Emory spurt that knotted the score at 12-12.  After each team scored two more points, the Panthers finally sealed the win on the strength of a kill by Michelle Maciejewski combined with an Emory attack miscue.  Sophomore Alysee Meyer (Stockton, CA) tied for match-high honors with 21 kills while senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) totaled 19 terminations.  Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) doled out 67 assists and recorded 20 digs while Ramm chalked up a match-best 27 digs.

Emory got off to a quick start in the first game against Ohio Northern, but saw the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern claw back from a 20-13 deficit to en route to taking a 1-0 lead.  However, the Eagles regrouped to win the next three games, using a balanced hitting attack that saw four players finish in double digits in kills.  Meyer blasted away for 18 kills while Huffman finished with 14 along with an impressive hitting percentage of  .407 (14-3-27).  Bunning came through with her seventh double-double of the campaign with 13 kills and 12 digs while junior Maggie Baird (San Antonio) posted 11 successful attacks. Emory winds up the home portion of its regular-season schedule on Saturday when it battles Baldwin-Wallace College at 2:00 p.m. before taking on Randolph-Macon College at 4:30 p.m.

2007 EMORY NATIONAL INVITE SCOREBOARD

Friday, Oct. 26
2:00 p.m.
Ohio Northern defeats Randolph-Macon (30-18, 30-28, 30-20)
Birmingham Southern defeats Baldwin-Wallace (30-25, 30-14, 30-20)

4:30 p.m.
Birmingham Southern defeats Emory (23-30, 30-18, 30-27, 31-33, 16-14)
Baldwin-Wallace defeats Randolph-Macon (30-17, 30-17, 30-26)

7:00 p.m.
Emory defeats Ohio Northern (32-34, 30-25, 30-21, 30-22)

Saturday, Oct. 27
11:00 a.m.
Birmingham Southern defeats Ohio Northern (30-22, 30-23, 30-28)

2:00 p.m.
Emory defeats Baldwin-Wallace (30-22, 30-16, 30-14)
Birmingham Southern defeats Randolph-Macon (30-21, 30-24, 30-23)

4:30 p.m.
Emory defeats Randolph-Macon (30-13, 30-19, 30-20)

EMORY NATIONAL INVITATION ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Sarah Harris -- Birmingham Southern
Casey Demos -- Birmingham Southern
Milica Stojanovic -- Birmingham Southern
Dani Huffman -- Emory
Alysse Meyer -- Emory
Liz Schnelle -- Ohio Northern
Laura Vuyk -- Ohio Northern

MVP -- Sarah Harris (Birmingham Southern)

 NO. 9-RANKED EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM CLOSES OUT REGULAR SEASON

(Oct. 22) - MATCH FACTS - The No. 9-ranked Emory University volleyball team will close out the regular season portion of its schedule as it faces a Tuesday evening road date at Maryville College before returning home on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 26-27) to play host to the Emory National Invitational.  The Eagles will battle Birmingham Southern (4:30 p.m.) and Ohio Northern (7:00 p.m.) on Friday before battling Baldwin Wallace (2:00 p.m.) and Randolph Macon (4:30 p.m.).  Friday evening will be Senior Night with the program recognizing Maggie Ramm and Janet Bunning.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 361-104.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Maryville College is led by Kandis Schram who is in her 22nd campaign with the Lady Scots.  Schram has compiled an impressive school and career record of 523-291 and has guided the program to six NCAA Tournament appearances.   

Birmingham Southern is led by the coaching tandem of Pavlina Steffkova (Texas, '98) and Jodie Ferguson (Montevallo, '06).

Kate Witte (Northern Iowa, 1982) is in her 17th season at the helm of the Ohio Northern University program and brings a school and career ledger of 447-144 into in a Tuesday match vs. Wilmington.  Witte has guided the Polar Bears to 14 NCAA Tournaments including seven Sweet 16 appearances.

Now in her 13th year as the head coach of Baldwin Wallace, Vicki Brault sports a school mark of 270-158 prior to a Tuesday contest vs. John Carroll.  Now in her 17th campaign as a head coach, Brault starts the week with a career effort of 339-208.

Randolph-Macon is led by sixth-year head coach Bill Rogers (Virginia Commonwealth, '90) who will take a school and career record of 125-63 into a Tuesday affair against Sweet Briar.

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 9 in the nation in the Oct. 16 CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, claims an overall record of 23-5.  In the Eagles' lone action of last week, they recorded a 3-0 win over Lee University, gaining a measure of revenge for a win that the Lady Flames earned over Emory earlier in the season.

Maryville College, a member of the Great South Athletic Conference, has won its last four matches and will entertain Emory with an overall record of 17-10. The Lady Scots own a 7-0 record in home matches this year.

Birmingham Southern, a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference member, has enjoyed a fine season, registering a 26-3 record.  The Panthers come to Atlanta having won their last eight consecutive matches.

Ohio Northern, ranked No. 12 in the Oct. 16 CSTV/AVCA D-III Poll, started the week with an overall slate of 22-4 before its Wilmington match. The Polar Bears notched their eighth straight Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season title over the weekend with a 3-0 sweep over Capital.  ONU will take an 18-match win streak into its Tuesday contest.

The Yellow Jackets of Baldwin-Wallace College, another member of the Ohio Athletic Conference, begin the week with a won-lost mark of 16-11.  Prior to its participation at the Emory National Invitational, B-W will host John Carroll on Tuesday.

A member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Randolph-Macon College takes a 10-12 effort into its Tuesday confrontation against Sweet Briar.

SERIES RECORDS - Emory claims an 11-2 bulge in the all-time series against Maryville College.  The teams met earlier this season (Sept. 22) with the Eagles coming away with a 3-0 triumph.

Emory posts a 2-1 all-time slate against Birmingham Southern.  The Panthers earned their win against the Eagles earlier this season (Sept. 8) when they battled for a come-from-behind 3-2 decision.

Ohio Northern holds a 5-1 record against Emory.  The teams last meet in 2004 at the Trinity (TX) Invitational where the Polar Bears emerged with a 3-0 victory.

Baldwin-Wallace and Emory will be meeting for the first time.

Emory stands 3-0 all-time against Randolph-Macon.  The squads met twice during the 2004 campaign with the Eagles claiming a pair of 3-0 triumphs.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 235-45 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 60-10 mark over the last four seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 12-1 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following the Emory Invitational, the Eagles venture to  Rochester, NY, to play at the UAA Championships, Nov. 2-3.

 RAMM CONTINUES DIGS CLIMB --  Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL)
recorded 11 digs in the Lee University match, boosting her career total to 1,083 and enabling her to move into the No. 3 spot on  the school's all-time list. So far this year, Ramm has recorded 17 matches of double-figure digs.

EMORY NOTES - Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) finished the Lee match with 10 kills, her seventh outing in the last eight matches of double digits ... Meyer is averaging 3.46 kills per game, currently 11th on the school's seasonal ladder ... Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) posts a .399 hitting percentage, currently fifth on Emory's seasonal chart, while junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) holds down the No. 7 spot with a .374 percentage ... Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) has doled out 1,208 assists and ranks seventh on the Eagles' seasonal chart ... Emory doled out 12 service aces in the Lee match, its 14th match this year of 10 or more aces ... Huffman's team-high12 kills against Lee represented her 14th performance of double digits in that category ... Bunning is approaching the 900-career kills plateau and starts the week with 871 to her credit, good for 14th place on the school's all-time ladder.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TOPS LEE UNIVERSITY

(Oct. 17) - The No. 9-ranked Emory volleyball team used a balanced hitting attack along with an effective serving game in posting a 3-0 win against Lee University Wednesday evening in a match played at the Woodruff PE Center. The Eagles captured their fourth straight win with a 33-31, 30-17, 30-22 triumph, raising their overall record to 23-5.  With the setback, Lee slips to 14-11.

Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) led a trio of Eagles who notched double figures in kills with a dozen terminations, her fourth performance of double digits in her last five outings.  Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) and sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) each finished the evening with 10 kills with Meyer hitting a keen .444 for the match (10-2-18).   Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) turned in a solid all-around effort with 34 assists, seven digs and a career-high eight service aces, tying her for eighth place on the school's single-match list. 

Emory concluded the contest with a hitting percentage of .234 (46-20-111) compared to Lee's mark of .022 (24-22-93). The Eagles also enjoyed a hefty 12-3 margin in aces, their 14th match this year of 10 or more aces. 

Emory has the upcoming weekend off before returning to action next Tuesday evening (Oct. 23) at Maryville College.

NO. 6-RANKED EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM FACES HOME TEST vs. LEE UNIVERSITY

(Oct. 16) - MATCH FACTS - After winning three of four matches at the UAA Round Robin II last weekend, the Emory volleyball team looks forward to returning home to battle Lee University Wednesday evening (Oct. 17).  The Woodruff PE Center will be the site of the 21st meeting between the Lady Flames and Eagles and the match will begin at 7:00 p.m.  It will be Emory's first home outing since Sept. 22, a span of 11 matches.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 360-104.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Lee University is led by Andrea Hudson (Lee College, '84) who is in her 17th campaign with the Lady Flames.  Heading into Wednesday's contest, Hudson has compiled a school and career record of 549-199.  During her tenure, she has guided the program to 12 campaigns of 30 or more victories.

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 6 in the nation in the Oct. 9 CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, sports an overall record of 22-5.  The Eagles posted a 3-1 mark at the UAA Round Robin II last weekend in Cleveland, dropping a tough five-game decision to Washington University in their opening match before marching to three 3-0 decisions against Case Western, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Chicago.

Lee comes to town with a 14-10 won-lost ledger.  The Lady Flames finished with a 0-3 record at the National American University Invitational last weekend.

SERIES RECORD - In a series that started in 1989, each team has posted 10 wins.  The Lady Flames hosted Emory earlier this year (Sept. 4) and came away with a five-game win.  Last season, the squads split a pair of meetings.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 234-45 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 59-10 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 11-1 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following the Lee match, the Eagles will have the weekend off before travelling to Maryville next Tuesday (Oct. 23).

RAMM CONTINUES DIGS CLIMB --  Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) continues her steady climb up the Emory all-time ladder in digs and will enter the Lee match with 1,072, good for the No. 4 spot.  She is just nine digs shy of moving past Audrey Jones' (1996-99) No. 3 mark of 1,080.  So far this year, Ramm has chalked up 16 matches of double-figure digs.

EMORY NOTES - Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) registered a .789 attack percentage (16-1-19) in the Chicago match on Sunday, the second-highest mark by an Emory player this season ... Meyer has come on strong of late, racking up double figures in kills in six of her last seven matches compared to the same number in her first 17 matches of the season ....  Meyer also doled out a career-high seven service aces against Chicago, tying the season high by an Emory player ... Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) tied her career best with 25 kills in the Washington University outing, her second match of the season and fourth of her career of 20 or more kills ...  Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) established a career best when she dished out 68 assists in the Washington University contest, the third-highest single-match total in school history ... Emory finished with 10 aces against Washington and 11 against Chicago and now have 13 matches this year of double-digits in that category ... Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) continued her outstanding play during the Round Robin II, recording a .493 hitting percentage (.48-9-79) and 15 blocks (1-14) ... Huffman has 13 matches of double-figure kills this season.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM CLOSES OUT UAA ROUND ROBIN II WITH TWO WINS
           
(Oct. 14) - The No. 6-ranked Emory University volleyball team closed out the final day of the University Round Robin II with a pair of three-game wins, defeating Carnegie Mellon and the University of Chicago. The two victories boost the Eagles' record to 22-5 in overall action, 6-1 in UAA play.

Emory was the beneficiary of outstanding play from a number of performers in the Carnegie Mellon contest led by junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) and senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) who finished with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.  While Huffman and Bunning headlined the hitting attack, junior Katie Downs enjoyed a solid outing, dishing out seven service aces and tying senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) for the team lead with nine digs.  Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) doled out 36 assists and contributed eight digs.

Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) spearheaded Emory's offensive effort in the Chicago match, notching a team-leading 16 kills as well as coming through with seven aces.  Bunning was the other Eagles' player to come through with double figures in kills with 11 and chipped in nine digs.  Robelen finished with 43 assists.

"Our serving today was excellent and really prevented both our opponents from getting into their offense," Assistant Coach Eric Hawes said.  "We kept up a high level of play in both matches and it was fun to see the team playing hard and enjoying themselves out there." 

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM SPLITS TWO MATCHES AT UAA ROUND ROBIN II
           
(Oct. 13) - The No. 6-ranked Emory University volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of the Round Robin II, dropping a hard-fought five-game decision to No. 7 Washington University before bouncing back to post a 3-0 triumph over host Case Western Reserve University.  The split leaves the Eagles' record at 20-5 in overall action, 4-1 in UAA play.

Emory fell to the Bears of Washington University, 25-30, 26-30, 30-27, 30-21, 14-16 in an intense contest that saw the Eagles' comeback bid fall just short.  Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) led a quartet of Eagles who recorded double figures in kills with a career-high tying 25 terminations.  Juniors Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX) and Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) each posted 15 kills while sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) rounded out the group with 14.  Junior setter Madison Robelen distinguished herself with a career-best 68 assists, the third-highest match total in school history.  Defensively, senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) and junior Katie Downs finished with 16 and 11 digs, respectively.

"We started out slowly the first two games before we got things figured out in games three and four where we took over control of the match," Assistant Coach Eric Hawes said.  "In the fifth game, we got off to a good start but Washington fought back and we made some mental errors at crucial times that really hurt us."

Emory avoided any possible letdown in the Case match, disposing the Spartans in three games, 30-22, 30-20, 30-17.  Huffman totaled a team-high 14 high kills to pace the offensive attack while Bunning and Meyer each chalked up a dozen.  Robelen dished out 40 assists and Huffman also contributed six block assists in the win.

"We played well and with focus," Hawes said.  That was pleasing to see after playing an emotional match earlier in the day."

NO. 6-RANKED EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM EYES UAA ROUND ROBIN II

(Oct. 11) - MATCH FACTS - After winning three of four matches at the Illinois Wesleyan Classic last weekend, the Emory volleyball team gears up for the University Athletic Association Round Robin II this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 13-14).  Emory will play two matches each day and will meet Washington University (10:00 a.m.) and host Case Western Reserve University (3:00 p.m.) on Saturday before meeting Carnegie Mellon (9:00 a.m.) and the University of Chicago (11:30 a.m.) on Sunday.  All matches will be held at the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center on the Case campus.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 357-103.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Washington University is led by Rich Luenemann (Eastern Illinois, '92) who is in his ninth campaign with the Bears.  Heading into this weekend's action, Luenemann has compiled a school record of 296-40.  In 27 years of collegiate coaching, he has compiled an impressive career slate of 886-302.

Karen Farrell (Brandeis, ‘93) is in her second tour of duty as head coach at Case.  She coached the Spartans from 1995 to 1998 before moving to Clark University as head volleyball coach (1999-2005).  She returned to Case in 2006.

Now in her third year as head coach at Carnegie Mellon, Kim Kelly (Gettysburg, '92) has chalked up a won-lost ledger of 54-41.  In 12 years of head coaching, which includes a nine-year stint at Gettysburg, Kelly posts a career mark of 304-123.

Leading Chicago into this weekend is seventh-year head coach Dorinda von Tersch (Dayton, '90). 

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 6 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, brings an overall record of 19-4 (3-0 UAA) into the Round Robin II.  The Eagles
dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 7 UW-Oshkosh in their opening contest at the Illinois Wesleyan Classic before rattling off three consecutive 3-0 triumphs over IWU, Millikin and Hope College.

Washington University, ranked No. 7 in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, takes an impressive 15-4 overall record (3-0 UAA) into its match against Emory.  The Bears have captured their last eight matches including all four of their encounters at the Augustana Invitational last weekend.

Case begins the weekend with a 10-12 mark (1-2 UAA).  The Spartans were defeated by Ohio Wesleyan before rebounding to claim a five-game victory over Alleghney College last Saturday.  Case will play Rochester in its first match of the weekend before its meeting with Emory.

Carnegie Mellon has won its last five matches, boosting its overall record to 12-8 (2-1 UAA).  The Tartans won all three of their matches at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational last weekend.

Chicago heads into Cleveland with an overall record of 4-15 (0-3 UAA).  The Maroons snapped a five-match skid last Saturday with a 3-0 win over Wisconsin Lutheran.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 234-45 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 59-10 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 11-1 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following the Round Robin II, the Eagles return home to entertain Lee University on Wednesday, Oct. 17, starting at 7:00 p.m.

RAMM REACHES 1,000 DIGS --  Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) reached a milestone during the Illinois Wesleyan Classic, becoming the fourth player in school history to reach 1,000 digs in a career, and now has 1,027 to her credit.  Ramm is averaging a team-high 4.52 digs per game, good for the No. 5 spot among UAA players.  So far this year, Ramm has 13 matches of double-figure digs.

MEYER TURNS IN SOLID EFFORT - Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) came through with double-figure kills in the team's last three matches of the IWU Classic and paced the Eagles with 15 terminations against Millikin and 16 vs. Hope College.  In addition, she dished out 10 service aces and chalked up 14 digs, including a season-high eight against Hope, in those three outings.  Entering the UAA Round Robin II, Meyer has registered nine matches of 10 or more kills this season.

EMORY NOTES - Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) leads all UAA players with a .399 hitting percentage and stands No. 7 in blocks (0.94 bpg) ... Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) is tied for third in the conference in attack percentage with a .354 mark and is No. 4 in blocks (1.00 bpg) ... Sophomore Kaitlin Westfall (St. Louis, MO) holds down the fifth spot among league spikers in blocks (0.98 bpg) while freshman Kelsey Krzyston (Noblesville, IN) tops the chart in aces (0.67 apg) ... Junior Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) paces the UAA and is No. 5 nationally in assists with a 13.0 per-game average ... As a team, the Eagles lead the UAA and are No. 3 nationally in hitting percentage (.291) while claiming the No. 6 spot on the national front in kills per game (15.88).

EMORY'S MAGGIE RAMM NAMED UAA VOLLEYBALL LIBERO OF THE WEEK

(Oct. 9) - Emory University senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) has been selected by the University Athletic Association as Volleyball Libero of the Week following her performance at the Illinois Wesleyan Classic last weekend.

Ramm helped the squad to a 3-1 record, playing in all 12 of the team's games and recording a total of 52 digs.  She paced the squad in digs in three matches including a 19 digs-performance in a 3-0 win against Hope College. 

So far this season, Ramm has played in 62 games over the course of 18 matches and has registered 13 outings of double-figure digs.  She paces the squad with a 4.52 digs per-game average.  Career-wise, she cracked the 1,000-digs plateau over the weekend and resides in the No. 4 spot on Emory's all-time list with 1,027 digs.

Ramm's selection represents the second time this season and fifth time in her career that she has been chosen as the league's Libero of the Week.

Emory, 19-4 overall (3-0 UAA), continues its season this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 13-14) when it ventures to Case Western Reserve University to participate in the UAA Round Robin II.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL CLOSES OUT ILLINOIS WESLEYAN CLASSIC WITH TWO WINS
           
(Oct. 6) - The No. 4-ranked Emory University volleyball team posted a pair of three-game wins on the final day of the Illinois Wesleyan Classic, defeating Millikin (30-26, 30-28, 30-24) and Hope College (31-29, 34-32, 33-31).  The Eagles chalked up a 3-1 record over the weekend and now stand 19-4 this season.

Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) played a key role in the win over Millikin, totaling a team-best 15 kills while doling out five service aces.  Senior Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA) registered 11 kills and eight digs and sophomore Kaitlin Westfall (St. Louis, MO) chalked up eight terminations.  Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) finished the match with 41 assists and chipped in 10 digs.

Meyer came through with another big effort against the Flying Dutch of Hope College, blasting away for a team-high 16 kills while notching four aces.  Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) ranked second on the squad with 13 kills and sophomore Hillary Buren (Kansas City, MO) rounded out the Eagles' contingent of double-figure attackers with 10 terminations.  Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa FL) distinguished her with a team-leading 16 digs and was followed closely in that category by Robelen with 16 digs while accounting for 48 assists.

"One of our goals going into today was to play with more energy and focus than yesterday," assistant coach Amanda Metz said.  "We felt that we accomplished that, especially in the Hope match that was tight the whole way.  Maggie (Ramm) was exceptional defensively and played a big role in helping us stay ahead."

EMORY VOLLEYBALL PREPARES FOR ILLINOIS WESLEYAN CLASSIC

(Oct. 3) -- MATCH FACTS - After an impressive performance last weekend at the UAA Round Robin I, the Emory University volleyball team prepares itself for a formidable challenge this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 5-6) when it competes at the Illinois Wesleyan Classic.  Emory will battle nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh (6:15 EDT) and host Illinois Wesleyan (8:30 p.m. EDT) during the opening day of action before closing out play on Saturday against Millikin (11:00 a.m.) and Hope College (1:10 p.m.). All matches will be played at the Shirk Center on the IWU campus.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 354-102.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

UW-Oshkosh is led by Brian Schaefer (UW-Oshkosh, '96) who is in his third full campaign with the Titans.  Heading into this weekend's action Schaefer has compiled a school and career record of 96-18.

Kim Nelson-Brown (Illinois State, ‘94) is in her 12th season as head coach at Illinois Wesleyan and posts a school and career ledger of 251-171. While at IWU, Nelson-Brown has guided the program to eight seasons of 20 or more wins and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.

Leading Millikin into this weekend is seventh-year head coach Debbie Kiick.  Kiick has amassed a school and career record of 158-90 and has five straight campaigns of 20 or more victories.

Now in her fourth year as the head coach of Hope College, Becky Schmidt (Hope, '99) claims a school record of 82-47.  In 2006, she directed the Flying Dutch to a 25-10 record that included a berth in the NCAA Tournament.  In seven seasons of coaching, which includes a three-year stint at Redlands, Schmidt has a career mark of 120-80.

SERIES RECORDS - Emory and UW-Oshkosh have met on just one occasion and the Eagles emerged with the victory in 2002. 

Emory stands 2-0 against Illinois Wesleyan.  The teams met last year at Emory and the Eagles prevailed in four games.

Emory is 1-0 against Millikin following a 3-0 win in 2005.  

The only meeting between Emory and Hope College took place in 1999 with the Eagles recording a 3-0 decision.

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 4 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, brings an overall record of 16-3 into the IWU Classic.  The Eagles have won their last eight matches including all three of last weekend's contests at the UAA Round Robin I.  Emory topped Brandies and the University of Rochester by 3-0 counts before rounding things out with a 3-1 triumph over host New York University.  During its eight match win streak, Emory has won 24 of 27 games.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked No. 7 in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, takes an impressive 18-1 record into its match against Emory.  After dropping its opening match of the year against Carthage, the Titans have rattled 18 straight wins and have captured their last 54 games during that stretch.  

Illinois Wesleyan, a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, claims a 9-10 record following a 3-0 triumph against North Park on Tuesday.

Millikin, another CCIW member, has dropped its last three encounters but still has a 14-5 mark.  In their most recent performance, Millikin dropped a four-game decision to Elmhurst College.

Hope College, a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), took an overall record of 11-5 into an Oct. 4 bout against St. Mary's.  

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 234-45 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 59-10 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 11-1 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following this weekend's action, the Eagles pack their bags once again and head to Cleveland, Oct. 13-14, for the UAA Round Robin II.  

EMORY PLAYERS RANKS HIGH IN UAA STATS - The Emory team and individual members continue to rank prominently in various UAA statistical categories. In the most recent rankings distributed on Sept. 30, Emory holds down the top spot in hitting percentage (.286), assists (14.32 apg), kills (15.62) and aces (2.87 apg).

Individually, senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) stands as the conference's leader in hitting percentage (.417) while junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) holds down the No. 3 position with a .374 effort.  Senior Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA) rounds out a trio of Emory top-10 leaders with a seventh-place showing of  .313.  Rose tops the Emory list and is No.3 on the UAA chart in kills (3.75 kpg) with Bunning (3.31 kpg), sophomore Alysse Meyer (3.19 kpg) and Huffman (3.18 kpg) sitting in Nos. 6-8 spots, respectively.  Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) paces all league performers with a 13.02 assists per-game average while sophomore Kaitlin Westfall (St. Louis, MO) and Huffman rank 3-4 in blocks with averages of 1.04 and 0.96, respectively.

ROSE IS EMORY ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER - Courtney Rose continues to build upon her No. 1 position as Emory's all-time leader in digs and now has 1,254 to her credit. Rose, along with Lauren Campbell (2000-03, 1,174) and Audrey Jones (1996-99, 1080 digs) are the Emory players who have reached the 1,000-digs plateau in their career.

EMORY NOTES - Senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) is on the verge of reaching the 1,000-career digs plateau with 975 to her credit .... Emory's 13 service aces against Rochester and 10 vs. NYU represented the 10th and 11th matches of 10 or more aces in 2007 ... After 19 matches (68 games), Emory has 195 aces compared to last season's 19-match (72 games) total of 174 ... Bunning enjoyed a fine UAA Roubd Robin, racking up 34 kills, hitting .442 (34-7-61), recording 19 digs and 13 total blocks (2-11) ... Bunning's 10-kills, 10-digs outing vs. Rochester marked her fourth double-double of the season ... Bunning has totaled eight matches of double-figure kills this year and has 37 in her career ... Huffman hit a career-high .800 (10 or more attempts) in the NYU match, chalking up 12 kills and zero miscues in 15 attempts ... Huffman has 10 matches this season of 10 or more terminations ... Courtney Rose ranks fifth all-time at Emory with 1,341 kills ... Freshman Kelsey Krzyston (Noblesville, IN) leads the team and is No. 2 among UAA players with a 0.74 aces per-game average.  

EMORY NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2007 - Head Coach Jenny McDowell has announced that seniors Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) along with junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) will serve as captains of the 2007 Eagles' volleyball squad.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL POSTS TWO WINS IN UAA ROUND ROBIN ACTION - CLOSE OUT WEEKEND WITH 3-0 UAA RECORD
                                                                                            
(Sept. 30) -- The No. 4-ranked Emory University volleyball team wound up a successful weekend of play on Sunday with a pair of wins in UAA Round Robin I play. The Eagles opened the day with a 3-0 win over the University of Rochester (30-24, 30-15, 30-12) before recording a 3-1 triumph over host New York University (30-15, 30-18, 21-30, 30-15).  The Eagles won all three of their conference contests over the weekend, boosting its overall record to 16-3 (3-0 UAA).

Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) led Emory's offensive effort against the Yellowjackets of Rochester, tallying a team-high 12 kills.  Senior Janet Bunning (Washington, DC) also finished in double digits with 10 terminations.  Senior Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA) and sophomore Hillary Buren (Kansas City, MO)  finished with eight and seven kills, respectively.  Junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) dished out 49 assists while sophomore Rachel Mills (Elizabethtown, KY) came up with seven digs.

Huffman turned in another outstanding effort in the NYU match, coming up with 12 kills, a hitting percentage of .800 (12-0-15) and 10 blocks (4-6).  Bunning and Rose each chalked up 11 kills with Bunning contributing eight blocks (1-7).  Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) aided the win with 10 kills.  Emory used a sterling defensive effort in the triumph and finished with 21 total blocks, the third-highest match total in school history.

"The NYU match was a great effort by the team," Assistant Coach Eric Hawes said.  "We were solid in the first two games before slipping a bit in game three.  But the team regained its focus and closed it out in game four.  Our blocking was outstanding and really forced NYU out of its offense."

Emory's next action takes place next Friday and Saturday (Oct. 5-6) when it plays at the Illinois Wesleyan Classic in Bloomington, Illinois.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL OPENS UAA ROUND ROBIN I WITH WIN
           
(Sept. 29) -- The No. 4-ranked Emory University volleyball team opened play in the UAA Round Robin Saturday afternoon win with a 3-0 win over Brandeis.  The Eagles raised their record to 14-3 following 30-21, 30-10, 30-18 decision over the Judges.

Seniors Janet Bunning led the offensive attack with 15 kills while classmate Courtney Rose chipped 11 terminations.  Junior setter Madison Robelen doled out 35 assists while contributing five digs.  Senior Maggie Ramm led the squad in digs with 12.  Emory's blocking was effective and was led by junior Dani Huffman and Bunning, each of whom totaled four blocks.

Emory continues play in the UAA Round Robin on Sunday with matches against the University of Rochester and host New York University.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL STILL NO. 4 IN CSTV/AVCA POLL

(Sept. 26) -- The Emory University volleyball team maintained its No. 4 position in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll released on Sept. 25.

In this week's rankings, Head Coach Jenny McDowell and her squad received one first-place vote and 527 points.  The Eagles stand 13-3 on the year and are coming off a championship performance in this past weekend's Emory Tournament that saw them post a 4-0 record.   Holding down the No. 1 position is Juniata College with 591 points and 16 first-place votes.  Wittenberg College is second 585 points and seven first-place ballots while UW-Whitewater is third with 546 points.

In NCAA statistics released earlier this week, Emory finds itself among the nation's top teams in several categories.  The Eagles are No. 5 in assists per game (14.64 apg), 18th in hitting percentage (.270) and 7th in kills per game (15.81).

Individually, junior setter Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, Fla.) ranks sixth in assists with an impressive 13.19 per-game average.  

Emory ventures to New York this weekend (Sept. 29-30) for the UAA Round Robin I.  The Eagles will take on Brandeis on Saturday before meeting the University of Rochester and host New York University on Sunday.

UAA ROUND ROBIN I AWAITS EMORY VOLLEYBALL TEAM

(Sept. 25) - MATCH FACTS - After rolling to a championship last weekend at the Emory Tournament, the Emory University volleyball squad will turn its attention to the UAA Round Robin I this Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 29-30).  This weekend's action will be hosted by New York University with the matches being contested at the Coles Sports Center.

Emory will play three matches over the weekend, opening on Saturday against Brandeis University starting at 12:30 p.m.  On Sunday, the Eagles will confront Rochester at 9:00 a.m. before closing out the weekend with an 11:30 a.m. showdown against host NYU.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 351-102.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Brandeis is led by Michelle Kim (Binghamton, '96) who is in her fourth campaign with the Judges.  Prior to her current post, she served as an assistant coach at Brandeis from 1999 through 2003.

Linda Downey (Ithaca College, ‘75) is in her fifth season as head coach at Rochester  and took a school record of 109-62 into a Sept. 25 contest vs. Ithaca College. Under her guidance, the Yellowjackets have won 20 or matches each of the last four years.  The 2007 season represents Downey's ninth as head coach as she spent four years in charge of Nazareth College.

Leading New York University into this weekend is sixth-year head coach Ed Caesar (NYU, '93).  During his stint with the Violets, Caesar has amassed a school and career record of 191-49.  NYU has posted 30 or more wins in each of his first five years.

SERIES RECORDS - Emory stands 25-6 all-time against Brandeis including 3-1 and
3-0 wins last year.

Emory posts a slim 15-14 advantage in the all-time series against Rochester.  Last year, the Eagles and Yellowjackets met once with Emory registering a 3-0 decision.

Emory sports a 23-13 all-time record against NYU.  The Eagles have won the last six matches between the schools including a pair of 3-0 decisions a year ago.

2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 4 in the nation in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll (Sept. 18), brings an overall record of 13-3 into this weekend's action.  The Eagles have won their last five matches including all four of last weekend's contests at the Emory Tournament.  Emory swept all four of its opponents, registering a .322 attack percentage while holding the opposition to a mark of .070.

Brandeis, started the week with a 9-2 record after winning three of four matches en route to a second-place finish at the Amherst Classic last weekend.  The Judges were to play Endicott College on Tuesday before their contest with Emory.

Rochester opened the week with a won-lost ledger of 11-5.  The Yellowjackets were to meet Ithaca College on Tuesday before its participation in the UAA Round Robin.

NYU posts a 9-8 record after coming out on the short end of three of four matches last weekend at the Linda Slagel Classic hosted by Millikin University.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 234-45 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 59-10 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 11-1 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following this weekend's action, the Eagles venture to Bloomington, Illinois, to play in the Illinois Wesleyan Classic, Oct. 5-6.  Joining Emory in that tourney will be host Illinois Wesleyan, UW-Oshkosh, Hope College and Millikin.

ROSE AND BUNNING SHARE EMORY TOURNAMENT MVP HONORS - Emory seniors Janet Bunning (Washington, D.C) and Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA) were tabbed as Co-MVPs of the Emory Tournament after their dominating performances helped the Eagles to a 4-0 record. Rose played in nine games over three matches and totaled 35 kills, an attack percentage of .340 and 38 digs.  She recorded double-doubles (kills/digs) in all three matches and now has 11 to her credit this year.  Bunning appeared in three matches and accounted for 38 kills, a hitting percentage of .455 and 30 digs.  She hit a blistering .741 (21-1-27) in the Washington & Lee contest, the fifth-highest match total in school history.

EMORY PLAYERS RANKS HIGH IN UAA STATS - In UAA statistics released Sept. 22, Emory players hold down six of the top 13 spots in hitting percentage.  Janet
Bunning is No. 3 on the league chart with a .409 percentage while junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) is seventh with an effort of .339.  Rose (.297, 10th), sophomore Alysee Meyer (11th, .268), junior Madison Robelen (12th, .259) and sophomore Kaitlin Westfall (13th, .258) round out the group.

In addition, Rose is No. 4 in kills per game (3.90 kpg) while Robelen tops all conference players in assists with a 13.19 per-game average.   Westfall (1.19 bpg) ranks first in blocks per game.

ROSE IS EMORY ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER - Courtney Rose continues to build upon her No. 1 position as Emory's all-time leader in digs and now has 1,235 to her credit. Rose, along with Lauren Campbell (2000-03, 1,174) and Audrey Jones (1996-99, 1080 digs) are the Emory players who have reached the 1,000-digs plateau in their career.

EMORY NOTES - Emory's 10 service aces against Washington & Lee represented the ninth match of 10 or more aces this year ... Heading into the UAA Round Robin, the Eagles have accounted for 163 aces vs. 57 for the opposition ... Emory holds down the No. 1 spot among UAA teams in hitting percentage  (.270) and kills (15.8 kpg)  ... Janet Bunning's 21 kills vs. Washington & Lee tied her second-highest career total and stands as the high-water mark by an Emory player this year ... Alysse Meyer pounded Heidelberg College to the tune of 18 kills, her fifth match of double-figure terminations, and a season-high .586 hitting percentage ... Junior Lulu Kaiali (Woodstock, GA) chalked up a career-high nine kills in the Piedmont College match ... Freshman Kelsey Krzyston (Noblesville, IN) leads the team and is No. 3 among UAA players with a 0.73 aces per-game average.  

EMORY NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2007 - Head Coach Jenny McDowell has announced that seniors Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) along with junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) will serve as captains of the 2007 Eagles' volleyball squad.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL DEFEATS HEIDELBERG - CLAIMS EMORY TOURNAMENT CROWN

(Sept. 22) -- The No. 4-ranked Emory volleyball team closed out a perfect weekend Saturday afternoon with a dominating 3-0 win over Heidelberg College.  The win enabled the Eagles to claim the Emory Tournament championship with a 4-0 record following a 30-17, 30-18, 30-18 triumph.  The victory increased Emory's season record to 13-3 while Heidelberg fell to 14-2.

In what was probably their best all-around match of the year, Emory finished with a .339 attack percentage while holding Heidelberg to .036.  The Eagles registered  57 total kills compared to the visitor's 22 and enjoyed a hefty 65-50 advantage in digs.

Emory sophomore Alysse Meyer led a trio of double-figure attackers chalking up a match-high 18 kills en route to a .586 hitting percentage (18-1-29).  Senior Courtney Rose chalked up her 11th double-double of the campaign with 13 kills and 13 digs while Janet Bunning notched 10 kills and 12 digs.  Junior setter Madison Robelen dished out 44 assists and played a big role defensively with a match-high 16 digs.

"For the first time all season we played an entire match well," Assistant Coach Eric Hawes stated.  "We played hard from start to finish and did not back off.  The team displayed the attitude that we have been hoping to see.  I think that Courtney and Janet really helped establish that tone with the way they played.  Heidelberg is a lot better than what we allowed them to show."

Sharing tournament MVP honors were Rose and Bunning with Robelen landing a spot on the all-tournament team.  Bunning appeared in three matches and accounted for 38 kills, a hitting percentage of .455 and 30 digs.  Rose played in three matches as well and totaled 35 kills, an attack percentage of .340 and 38 digs.  In her three match appearances, Robelen notched 125 assists and 30 digs.  Also garnering all-tourney recognition were Jess Hudock of Washington & Lee and Heidelberg College's Laurie Patrick and Emily Hurlburt.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL BREEZES BY MARYVILLE

(Sept. 22) -- The No. 4-ranked Emory volleyball team remained perfect in the Emory Tournament Saturday afternoon with a decisive 3-0 win over Maryville College. The Eagles raised their record to 12-3 following a 30-21, 30-15, 30-16 triumph over the Lady Scots who slipped to 6-7.

The Eagles were strong both offensively and defensively as they finished with a .368 attack percentage (49-10-106) while holding Maryville to .000 percent (25-25-110).  Emory enjoyed a 52-42 edge in digs and finished with an 11-4 bulge in total blocks.

Senior Courtney Rose led a balanced attack with 11 kills while tallying a team-high 10 digs.  Senior Janet Bunning recorded seven kills, a .389 hitting percentage, three service aces, seven digs and three blocks.  Junior Dani Huffman made the most of her attack attempts with eight terminations in 10 opportunities.  Junior setter Madison Robelen doled out 39 assists and nine digs.

Emory closes out tourney play on Saturday against Heidelberg at 4:30 p.m.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TOPS WASHINGTON & LEE

The No. 4-ranked Emory volleyball team closed out a successful opening day of the Emory Tournament Friday evening with a 3-0 win over Washington & Lee.  The Eagles boosted their record to 11-3 following a 30-17, 30-25, 30-28 over the Generals who dropped to 4-5.

Emory senior Janet Bunning turned in a stellar performance for the Eagles, racking up a match-high 21 kills, tying her second-highest career total, while chipping in 11 digs.  Bunning finished with a .741 attack percentage, the fifth-highest match total in Emory history.  Bunning's effort helped the Eagles post a .299 hitting percentage vs. the Generals' .154.  Senior Courtney Rose chipped in 11 kills and a team-leading 15 digs, her ninth double-double of the campaign.  Junior setter Madison Robelen registered 42 assists in aiding in the triumph.

Emory will battle Maryville College (2:00 p.m.) and Heidelberg College (4:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL SPEEDS PAST PIEDMONT
           
(Sept. 21) -- The No. 4-ranked Emory University volleyball team opened play in the Emory Tournament Friday afternoon with a convincing 3-0 win over Piedmont College.  The Eagles raised their record to 10-3 following a 30-26, 30-23, 30-22 triumph over the Lions who saw their record slip to 10-2.  

Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell opted to rest veterans Madison Robelen, Dani Huffman, Courtney Rose and Janet Bunning in the match but that did not slow the Eagles down as they posted a .286 attack percentage compared to .093 for Piedmont.  Emory was also helped by strong play in its serving game and recorded 14 aces.

Sophomore Alysse Meyer led the Eagles' attack with a match-high 12 kills while finishing with a .386 hitting percentage.  Sophomore Hillary Buren was the other Emory player to post double digits in kills with 10.  Freshman Ana Ramirez doled put 31 assists while coming up with four aces.

Emory will take on Washington & Lee Friday evening starting at 7:00 p.m.

2007 EMORY TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD

Friday, Sept. 21
2:00 p.m.
Heidelberg defeats Washington & Lee (25-30, 27-30, 30-26, 30-24, 15-13)

4:30 p.m.
Emory defeats Piedmont (30-26, 30-23, 30-22)
Heidelberg defeats Maryville (30-26, 30-17, 30-11)

7:00 p.m.
Emory defeats Washington & Lee (30-17, 30-25, 30-28)

Saturday, Sept. 22
11:30 a.m.
Heidelberg defeats Piedmont (30-11, 30-15, 30-15)
Washington & Lee defeats Maryville College (30-20, 30-25, 31-29)

2:00 p.m.
Emory defeats Maryville (30-21, 30-15, 30-16)
Washington & Lee defeats Piedmont (30-28, 30-19, 30-23)

4:30 p.m.
Emory defeats Heidelberg (30-17, 30-18, 30-18)

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Madison Robelen -- Emory
Courtney Rose -- Emory
Janet Bunning -- Emory
Jess Hudock -- Washington & Lee
Emily Hurlburt -- Heidelberg
Laurie Patrick -- Heidelberg

Co-MVPs -- Janet Bunning & Courtney Rose

EMORY TOURNAMENT ON TAP ON FOR EAGLES' VOLLEYBALL SQUAD

MATCH FACTS - After notching a pair of wins in three matches last weekend at the Lee Invitational, the No. 4-ranked Emory University volleyball team will host the Emory Tournament this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 21-22).  The Eagles will battle Piedmont College (4:30 p.m.) and Washington & Lee (7:00 p.m.) on Friday before taking on Maryville College (2:00 p.m.) and Heidelberg (4:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 347-102.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Katie O'Brien (Iowa) is in her eighth year as head coach of Piedmont College and enters the weekend with a school and career record of 164-101.  Last year, O'Brien directed the Lions to an overall record of 23-12 that included a 7-3 slate in Great South Athletic Conference action, good for a second-place tie

Bryan Snyder (Washington & Lee, ‘95) is in his third season as head coach at Washington & Lee and took a school record of 209-51 into a Sept. 19 contest vs. Sweet Briar. Under his guidance, the Generals have advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of the last six seasons.  In 10 years of college coaching, Snyder claimed a 250-76 mark prior to Wednesday's action.

Serving as the head coach at Maryville College is Kandis Schram (Maryville, '85).  Now in her 22nd season with the Lady Scots, Schram takes a school and career ledger of 512-286 into the weekend.  She has been tabbed as the Great South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on six occasions.

Leading Heidelberg into this weekend is eighth-year head coach Jason Miller (Heidelberg, '98).  During his stint at the Berg, Miller has amassed 126 victories including a 22-15 ledger last year that represented the third-highest win total in school history.  Miller also serves as the head coach of the wrestling program.

SERIES RECORDS - Emory shows a 3-0 advantage in the series with Piedmont College.  The two schools last met in 2003 when the Eagles posted a 3-0 win at the Woodruff PE Center.

Emory will check into its match against Washington & Lee holding a 14-1 margin in the all-time series.  The Eagles claimed a 3-0 win over the Generals last year.

Emory sports a 10-2 all-time record against Maryville College.  The Eagles and Lady Scots last met in 2005 with Emory winning a pair of matches.

Saturday's meeting with Heidelberg will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
 
2007 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No. 4 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, brings an overall record of 9-3 into this weekend's action.  The Eagles won two of three matches at the Lee Invitational, topping Spring Hill in three games, dropping a five-game verdict to the University of Mobile and winning a five-game battle against Martin Methodist.

Piedmont College, a member of the Great South Athletic Conference, has won its last seven matches and will meet Emory with a 10-1 record.  The Lions defeated LaGrange College (3-1) and Huntingdon College (3-2) last weekend.  

Washington & Lee, a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, takes a 3-3 record into a Sept. 19 contest against Sweet Briar.

Maryville College stands 6-5 and will bring a four-match win streak into the weekend.  The Lady Scots, a member of the Great South Athletic Conference, defeated Huntingdon College (3-1) and LaGrange College (3-0) this past weekend.

After a season-opening loss to Calvin, Heidelberg College has rattled off 11 straight victories.  In its most recent action, Heidelberg notched a 3-0 win against Wilmington on Tuesday.  In its last five matches, Heidelberg, a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference, has won 15 of 16 games.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 230-45 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 52-9 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 7-1 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following this weekend's action, the Eagles venture to New York to play in the UAA Round Robin I, Sept. 29-30.  Emory will play Brandeis on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., before tackling Rochester (9:00 a.m.) and NYU (11:30 a.m.) on Sunday.

EMORY PLAYERS RANKS HIGH IN UAA STATS - In UAA statistics released Sept. 15, Emory players hold down the Nos. 7-10 spots in hitting percentage. Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA, .341), sophomore Kaitlin Westfall (St. Louis, MO, .289), senior Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA, .288) and junior Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL, .280) are among the top 10 league performers.  In addition, Rose is No. 4 in kills per game (3.90 kpg) while Robelen tops all conference players in assists with a 13.04 per-game average.   Westfall (1.19) and Huffman (0.72) rank first and seventh, respectively, in blocks per game.

ROSE IS EMORY ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER - Courtney Rose moved into the No. 1 position on Emory's career chart in digs over the weekend and now has 1,197 to her credit. Rose passed Lauren Campbell's (2000-03) previous standard of 1,174. Rose and Campbell are two of three Emory spikers to have recorded 1,000 or more digs in a career with Audrey Jones (1996-99, 1080 digs) rounding out the trio.

EMORY NOTES - Emory recorded a season-high 17 service aces in the five-game win over Martin Methodist, the seventh match this season of 10 or more aces ... Through 46 games, the Eagles have registered 125 aces vs. 34 for the opposition ... Through matches played Sept. 15, Emory is No. 1 among UAA teams with a 15.5 kills per-game average ... Emory hit a season-high .370 (67-16-138) in the Martin Methodist match, the fourth effort of .300 or better this year ... Senior Maggie Ramm, tied for No. 2 on the UAA list in digs (5.00 dpg) ranks sixth all-time at Emory with 947 ... Freshman Kelsey Krzyston (Noblesville, IN) continues to be a key contributor and doled out 10 aces over the weekend, increasing her team-leading total to 33 ... Krzyston is No. 2 among UAA players with a 0.75 aces per-game average.

 EMORY NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2007 - Head Coach Jenny McDowell has announced that seniors Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) along with junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) will serve as captains of the 2007 Eagles' volleyball squad.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL MOVES UP TO NO. 4 IN CSTV/AVCA COACHES POLL


(Sept. 18) -- The Emory University volleyball team moved up one spot to the No. 4 position in this week's CSTV/AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll.  It marks the Eagles' highest ranking since the 2006 Preseason poll slotted Emory fourth.

Head Coach Jenny McDowell and her squad received one first-place vote and 518 points.  The Eagles stand 9-3 on the year and posted a pair of wins in three matches at the Lee Invitational last weekend.  Moving back into the No. 1 position after a one-week absence is Juniata College with 589 points and 13 first-place votes.  Wittenberg College holds down the No. 2 post with 585 points while UW-Whitewater is third with 545 points.

The team will be hosting the Emory Tournament this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 22).  The Eagles will battle Piedmont College (4:30 p.m.) and Washington & Lee (7:00 p.m.) on the opening day of action before meeting Maryville College (2:00 p.m.) and Heidelberg College (4:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL SPLITS SATURDAY MATCHES AT LEE INVITATIONAL          

(Sept. 15) - The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team split a pair of five-game matches on the final day of action at Lee University Invitational, coming out on the short end against  the University of Mobile (30-14, 30-25, 29-31, 24-30, 11-15) before winding play up with a triumph over Martin Methodist (28-30, 30-28, 30-16, 23-30, 15-6).  The split leaves the Eagles' record at 9-3.

In the match against the Lady Rams of Mobile, Emory saw four players finish with double figures in kills led by senior Courtney Rose who finished with 17.  Senior Janet Bunning and junior Dani Huffman totaled 12 apiece while junior Maggie Baird rounded out the quartet with 11.  Junior setter Madison Robelen doled out 46 assists.

Bunning and Rose played an instrumental role in the win over the RedHawks of Martin Methodist, each posting 17 kills with Rose adding 18 digs.  Sophomore Alysse Meyer contributed to the cause with 14 terminations while Baird notched nine kills.  Robelen directed the offense with precision and registered 63 assists.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL DEFEATS SPRING HILL     

(Sept. 14) - The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team opened play at the Lee Invitational Friday afternoon with a 3-0 win over Spring Hill College.  The Eagles upped their record to 8-2 following a 30-22, 30-16, 30-26 over the Lady Badgers who fell to 3-3.

Emory finished with a fine .319 attack percentage and was led by senior Courtney Rose and junior Dani Huffman who each tallied a team-high nine kills.  Sophomores Alysse Meyer and Hillary Buren totaled seven and five terminations, respectively.

Junior setter Madison doled out 40 assists while senior libero Maggie Ramm chalked up 20 digs.  Sophomore Maggie Baird and Huffman each contributed four blocks.

"The team was focused and played well," Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell said.  "We had some travel issues getting here but the players did a fine job of taking care of business."

Emory continues play on Saturday when it battles the University of Mobile (9:00 a.m.) and Martin Methodist (1:00 p.m.).

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TO PLAY AT LEE INVITATIONAL

MATCH FACTS - After posting a second-place finish at the Emory Invitational last weekend, the 2007 Eagles' volleyball team continues play this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 14-15) when it ventures to Cleveland, Tenn., to take part in the Lee University Invitational.  Emory will play Spring Hill College on the first day of action in a 4:00 p.m. match before playing the University of Mobile and Martin Methodist on Saturday.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 345-101.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Beth Ring (Northland Baptist Bible, '92) is in her first year as head coach of the Spring Hill.

Jon Campbell (Furman) is in his third season as head coach at the University of Mobile and enters the weekend with a school record of 43-22.  Last year, he directed the Lady Rams to a 31-7 won-lost mark. 

Serving as the head coach at Martin Methodist College is Rose Magers-Powell.  Now in her 11th season with the RedHawks, Powell (Martin Methodist, 2000) takes a school and career ledger of 174-105 into the weekend.

SERIES RECORDS - Emory shows a 2-1 advantage in the series with Spring Hill.  The two schools last met in 2005 when the Eagles posted a 3-0 win at the Woodruff PE Center.

This weekend will represent the first time that Emory has played both Mobile and Martin Methodist.
 
2006 RECORDS - Emory, ranked No.5 in the nation in this week's CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Poll, brings an overall record of 7-2 into the Lee Invitational.  Last weekend, the Eagles captured three of four matches en route to a runner-up spot at the Emory Invitational.  Coach McDowell and her squad topped both UT-Dallas and Rhodes College by 3-0 margins on Friday before dropping a five-game decision to Birmingham Southern in the opening contest on Saturday.  The Eagles then finished up the Invitational with a 3-1 triumph over Augustana College.

Spring Hill, a member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, has dropped its last two matches and stands 3-2.  In their most recent action, the Badgers came out on the short end of a 3-1 verdict to the University of Mobile on Tuesday (Sept. 11).   

Mobile has gotten off to a good start this year and sports a 5-2 record.  The Lady Rams topped Spring Hill in four games on Tuesday evening in a GCAC match.

 Martin Methodist's 3-0 win over Mid-Continent University on Tuesday upped it record to 5-0.  The RedHawks compete in the TransSouth Conference and received votes in the September 5 CSTV/AVCA NAIA national poll.  

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 230-45 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 52-9 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 7-1 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following this weekend's action, the Eagles return to the Woodruff PE Center to host the Emory Tournament, Sept. 21-22.   Emory will play Piedmont College (4:30 p.m.) and Washington & Lee (7:00 p.m.) on Friday before taking on Maryville (2:00 p.m.) and Heidelberg (4:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

ROSE'S RETURN A BOOST TO EMORY - After missing last season rehabbing a knee injury, senior Courtney Rose's return to the Eagles' lineup has been beneficial.  Through matches played Sept. 8, Rose holds down the No. 3 spot among UAA players with a 4.03 kills per game average.  She has recorded double figures in kills in all eight matches she has seen action in and has a season-high 18 terminations against Puget Sound (Sept. 1).  Rose has helped Emory's defensive cause with a 3.86 digs per game average, good for the No. 10 position among the league's players.  Entering this weekend, Rose is No. 2 all-time at Emory with 1,157 digs and is just 18 digs shy of moving past Lauren Campbell's (2000-03) No. 1 mark of 1,174.

HUFFMAN ON A HOT STREAK - Junior Dani Huffman has played in all nine matches and posts a solid .324 attack percentage, good for a tie for the No. 6 spot on the UAA chart.  The 5-foot-11 middle recorded an outstanding .419 hitting percentage (45-11-81) in the Emory Invitational including a blistering 65.4 percent outing (18-1-26) in the Rhodes match that ranks as the best effort by an Emory player so far this year. Huffman has chalked up 10 or more kills in seven matches this year.

EMORY NOTES - Through matches played Sept. 8, Emory ranks first among UAA squads in kills per game (16.3 kpg) and assists (15.42 apg) ... After missing the opening five matches of the year, senior Janet Bunning returned to the lineup this past weekend, seeing action in two matches and playing in eight games ... Bunning recorded 28 kills, including 19 against Birmingham Southern,  hit .367 (28-6-60) and registered 12 digs ... The Eagles have dished out 89 service aces compared to the opposition's mark of 29 ... Emory has enjoyed an edge in attack percentage in seven matches and stands 7-0 in those contests ... Freshman Kelsey Krzyston has doled out a team-high 23 aces and is No. 3 on the UAA chart with a 0.74 per-game average ... Sophomore Kaitlin Westfall tied her career high with 10 kills in the Augustana match ... Westfall is No. 1 on the team and tied for the top spot among UAA players with a 1.16 blocks per-game average ... Senior Maggie Ramm, tied for No. 2 on the UAA list in digs (5.09 dpg) ranks sixth all-time at Emory with 910.

EMORY NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2007 - Head Coach Jenny McDowell has announced that seniors Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) along with junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) will serve as captains of the 2007 Eagles' volleyball squad.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL SPLITS MATCHES vs. BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN AND AUGUSTANA -- TAKES SECOND PLACE IN EMORY INVITATIONAL

(Sept. 8) -- The No. 5-ranked Emory volleyball team split a pair of matches on the final day of action at the Emory Invitational on Saturday, dropping a five-game decision to Birmingham Southern before bouncing back to post a four-game victory against Augustana College.  The Eagles dropped a 30-13, 30-27, 24-30, 24-30, 13-15 verdict to Birmingham Southern that enabled the Panthers to win the championship.  Emory then disposed of the Vikings, 30-32, 30-16, 30-22, 30-25.  Emory now stands 7-2 on the year.

Emory got off to a blazing start in the Birmingham Southern contest, hitting 35 percent while holding the Panthers to -12.5 percent in sprinting to the 30-13 win in the opening game.  Four kills apiece by sophomore Hillary Buren, senior Janet Bunning and junior Maggie Baird keyed the Eagles' second game win.  The Panthers then began to wrestle momentum from the Eagles, hitting a combined 36.2 percent in third and fourth games, while limiting Emory to 20.2 percent in tying the match.  In the decisive fifth game, a kill by Bunning capped a 4-0 spurt and gave the Eagles an 8-3 advantage.  BSC then responded with a 7-1 run that gave it a 10-9 margin.  Emory battled back to gain a 13-12 lead following a kill by sophomore Alysse Meyer, but BSC closed out the match with the last three points.   Bunning led all players with 19 kills and hit a classy 44.4 percent (19-3-36) and was aided by Rose who knocked down 16 kills while registering a career-high 26 digs. 

Looking to shake off the effects of the setback to BSC, the Eagles dropped the opening game to Augustana as the visitors limited Emory to just a .062 hitting percentage. However, the home squad bounced back in impressive form in the second game, hitting 37.8 percent (18-4-37) and holding the Vikings to .065 percent in tying the match.  Emory then went on to capture the third and fourth games to close out the day on a winning note.  Rose capped off a fine tourney by leading a quartet of Eagles who finished with double figures in kills with 15 terminations. Buren was right behind her with 14 kills  while junior Dani Huffman and sophomore Kaitlin Westfall contributed 10 apiece. 

EMORY INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Courtney Rose - Emory
Maggie Ramm - Emory
Caitlin Dees - Birmingham Southern
Michelle Maciejewski - Birmingham Southern
Milica Stojanovic - Birmingham Southern
Amber Wetz - UT-Dallas
Courtney Jungnickel - Augustana

MVP - Milica Stojanovic (Birmingham Southern)

EMORY VOLLEYBALL TOPS RHODES                     

(Sept. 7) -- The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team closed out play on the first day of the Emory Invitational with a three-game win over Rhodes College.  The Eagles saw their record climb to 6-1 following a 30-26, 30-28, 30-13 decision against the Lynx who saw their record slip to 2-5.

Junior Dani Huffman spearheaded an effective and balanced Emory offensive attack, racking up a match-high 18 kills en route to recording a blistering 65.4 hitting percentage (18-1-26), the best effort by an Eagles' player so far this season.  Huffman finished off all eight of her attack attempts in the first game in helping Emory hit 38.6 percent.  She continued her torrid pace in the second game, terminating five of nine opportunities.  In the third and final game, she totaled five more kills.

Complementing Huffman's offensive outburst was senior Courtney Rose who finished with 15 kills while tying for team high with 15 digs.  Sophomore Hillary Buren and junior Maggie Baird each chipped in seven kills with Buren contributing 10 digs. 

After hitting a season-high 32.5 percent earlier in the day against UT-Dallas, the Eagles bettered that in Friday's nightcap, powering their way to a mark of 36.4 percent (62-11-140). 

On Saturday, Emory will take on Birmingham Southern at 1:30 p.m. before meeting Augustana College at 4:00 p.m. 

EMORY VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS UT-DALLAS

(Sept. 7) - The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team captured its fifth straight home match Friday afternoon, topping UT-Dallas in three games.  The Eagles upped their season record to 5-1 following a 30-18, 30-23, 30-22 win over the Comets who slipped to 4-2.

Emory hit a season-high 32.5 percent (51-11-123) in the match while holding UT-Dallas to .086 percent (31-20-128).  Senior Courtney Rose led all players with 13 kills and dished out three servce aces while sophomore Hillary Buren and senior Janet Bunning, who made her first appearance in the lineup of the year, each totaled nine terminations.  Junior setter Madison Robelen doled out 42 assists and registered 14 digs while senior Maggie Ramm chalked up a match-high 16 digs.

The Eagles close out opening-day action at the Emory Invitational Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. when they battle Rhodes College.

EMORY'S MAGGIE RAMM NAMED UAA VOLLEYBALL LIBERO OF THE WEEK

(Sept. 6) -- Emory University senior Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) has been selected by the University Athletic Association as Volleyball Libero of the Week following her performance at the Emory Classic last weekend.

Ramm helped the squad to a perfect 4-0 record and wins in 12 of 13 games.  She played in all 13 games and totaled a team-high 54 digs (4.15 dpg), 13 assists and five service aces. Her strong defensive played helped Emory hold its four opponents to a combined 11.3 hitting percentage. Ramm accounted for a team-high 11 digs and three aces in a 3-0 triumph over Christopher Newport before tying for the team lead with 15 digs, while dishing out six assists, in a 3-1 victory over No. 11-ranked St. Thomas. Ramm also chalked up a match-high 22 digs in a 3-0 verdict against Puget Sound.

Heading into the Emory Invitational the weekend of Sept. 7-8, Ramm holds down the No. 9 spot on the school's career chart for digs with 835. 

Ramm's selection represents the fourth time in her career that she has been chosen as the league's Libero of the Week.

EMORY INVITATIONAL SCOREBOARD

Friday, Sept. 7
Noon
Birmingham Southern defeats Averett (30-17, 30-19, 30-19)
Augustana defeats Oglethorpe (30-25, 30-14, 30-27)

2:00 p.m.
UT-Dallas defeats Rhodes (30-28, 29-31, 32-30, 30-17)
Averett defeats Oglethorpe (30-19, 14-30, 30-24, 30-18)

4:30 p.m.
Emory defeats UT-Dallas (30-18, 30-23, 30-22)
Birmingham Southern defeats Augustana (30-21, 30-21, 30-24)

7:00 p.m.
Emory defeats Rhodes (30-26, 30-28, 30-13)

Saturday, Sept. 8
9:00 a.m.
UT-Dallas defeats Averett (26-30, 32-34, 30-26, 30-11, 15-8)

11:00 a.m.
Rhodes defeats Averett (30-6, 30-22, 31-29)
UT-Dallas defeats Oglethorpe (30-17, 30-24, 30-12)

1:30 p.m.
Birmingham Southern defeats Emory (13-30, 27-30, 30-24, 30-24, 15-13)
Rhodes defeats Augustana (30-28, 24-30, 30-27, 30-21)

4:00 p.m.
Emory defeats Augustana (30-32, 30-16, 30-22, 30-25)

EMORY INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Courtney Rose - Emory
Maggie Ramm - Emory
Caitlin Dees - Birmingham Southern
Michelle Maciejewski - Birmingham Southern
Milica Stojanovic - Birmingham Southern
Amber Wetz - UT-Dallas
Courtney Jungnickel - Augustana

MVP - Milica Stojanovic (Birmingham Southern)

EMORY INVITATIONAL ON TAP FOR EAGLES' VOLLEYBALL TEAM

MATCH FACTS -- The 2007 Emory University volleyball team continues play this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 7-8) when it hosts the Emory Invitational.  Joining the Eagles in this weekend's action are UT-Dallas, Rhodes College, Birmingham Southern, Augustana, Averett University and Oglethorpe University.  Emory's first match takes place on Friday at 4:30 p.m. when it battles UT-Dallas.  The Eagles close out Friday's competition at 7:00 p.m. when it meets Rhodes.  On Saturday, Emory takes on Birmingham Southern at 1:30 p.m. and Augustana at 4:00 p.m.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 342-100.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Marci Sanders is in her fourth year as head coach of the UT-Dallas program and takes a school and career record of 57-42 into this weekend's action.  Last season she guided the Comets to an overall record of 24-7 that included a 15-2 mark in American Southwest Conference play, good for an ASC co-championship in the East Division. 

Rhodes College is led by Samantha Lambert (Earlham, '96) who is in her ninth year with the program.  During her stint with the Lynx, she has amassed 170 victories including last year's mark of 29-12.  In addition, the 2006 season marked the first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament for Rhodes. 

Guiding the fortunes of the Birmingham Southern Panthers are Pavlina Steffkova (Texas, '98) and Jodie Ferguson (Montevallo, 06).  Steffkova is in her fifth season at BSC while Ferguson is in her first.

Stacey Ruff (Dubuque, ‘95) is in her her third season as head coach at Augustana College and enters the weekend with a ledger of 38-40.  In six years of coaching, which includes a three-year stint at Dubuque (2001-03), Ruff has a career mark of 84-87.

Tiffany Williams (Oglethorpe, '06) was named interim head coach of the Petrels' program earlier this summer.  Willams enjoyed a fine four-year volleyball career at Oglethorpe.

Danny Miller is in his 13th year as the head coach at Averett University.  Miller starts action this weekend with a record of 322-140.  He has directed the Cougars to four NCAA Tournaments.

SERIES RECORDS - When Emory faces both UT-Dallas and Augustana, it will represent the first-ever meeting in volleyball between the programs.

Emory stands 2-0 against Birmingham Southern with both of those victories coming during the 1999 season. 

In a series that started in 1987, Rhodes College claims a 5-3 record against Emory.  The Eagles and Lynx last met in 2003 with Emory coming away with a 3-0 win. 

2006 RECORDS - Emory starts play this weekend with a record of 4-1.  The Eagles opened their season last weekend by posting four victories en route to a championship effort at the Emory Classic.  The Eagles suffered their lone setback on Tuesday (Sept. 4) when they came out on the short end of a five-game decision at Lee University.

UT-Dallas opened its season by registering wins in three of four matches last weekend at the UTD Gilbert Memorial Tournament.  The Comets defeated Hardin Simmons, the University of Dallas and Fontbonne University.

Rhodes College will bring a 2-3 record into the Emory Invitational and is coming off a split of four matches last weekend at the Boxer Invitational hosted by Pacific University.  Rhodes defeated Lewis and Clark and Pacific while dropping matches to Pacific Luthern and Cal State East Bay.

Birmingham Southern stands 3-1 following its opening weekend of play at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.  The Panthers topped Wheaton College, SUNY-Brockport and split a pair of matches with No. 3-ranked UW-Whitewater.

 The Vikings of Augustana College came through with a 3-1 record following their opening weekend of play at the Grinnell Tournament. 

Averett University is 3-3 after hosting the Cougar Classic last weekend and splitting four matches.

Oglethorpe owns a 2-2 won-lost mark after splitting four home matches last weekend, defeating Mississippi College and Agnes Scott.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 227-44 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 52-9 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 4-0 in 2007). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following this weekend's action, the Eagles will take part in the Lee University Classic, Sept. 14-15.   Emory will play Spring Hill on Friday before taking on Mobile and Martin Methodist on Saturday.

EMORY NOTES - Through five matches, Emory shows a 21.2 attack percentage compared to the opposition's mark of 13.1 percent ... The Eagles have dished out 45 service aces vs. 16 for their foes ... Emory's 205 attack attempts vs. Lee on Tuesday was the highest total since Sept. 2, 2006 when the Eagles recorded a total of 227 vs. SCAD in a five-game match ... Junior Dani Huffman's 19 kills in the Lee match tied her with Alysse Meyer (vs. St. Thomas) for the high-water mark in that category thus far in the young season ... Freshman Kelsey Krzyston has dished out a team-high 15 services aces this year ...  Senior Courtney Rose has posted double-figure kills in all four of the matches she has played in this season and is averaging a team-leading 4.07 kills per game ... Rose is  No. 7 all-time at Emory with 1,173 kills ... Sophomore Kaitlin Westfall paces the squad in blocks (1.06 bpg) and is hitting at a 30.3 percent (38-15-76) clip.

EMORY TABBED FOR NO. 5 SPOT NATIONALLY IN PRESEASON POLL - The Emory volleyball squad holds down the No. 5 spot in the CSTV/AVCA Preseason Top 25 Volleyball Poll.  The Eagles received one first-place vote and totaled 517 points.  Juniata College, the defending national champ, claims the No. 1 spot in the poll with 579 points after receiving 14 of the 24 first-place votes.  On the heels of Juniata with 566 points is Wittenberg who tallied six first-place votes.  UW-Whitewater (542 pts.) and Washington University (531 pts.) held down the No. 3 and 4 positions, respectively.

EMORY NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2007 - Head Coach Jenny McDowell has announced that seniors Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) along with junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) will serve as captains of the 2007 Eagles' volleyball squad.EMORY DROPS FIVE-GAME DECISION AT LEE UNIVERSITY

(Sept. 4) -- The No. 5-ranked Emory University volleyball team came out on the short end of an intense five-game match at Lee University Tuesday evening.  The Lady Flames upped their record to 2-0 following a 30-28, 21-30, 25-30, 30-27, 15-13 slugfest over Emory which saw its record drop to 4-1.

Junior Dani Huffman led a trio of Eagles who finished in double digits in kills, finishing the contest with 19 terminations.  Senior Courtney Rose turned in a solid all-around match with 17 kills and 19 digs while sophomore Kaitlin Westfall chipped in 10 kills and four block assists. 

The match featured stellar defense by both squads with Emory posting a 14.1 hitting percentage compared to Lee' 18.1 percent.  The Eagles recorded 96 digs while the Lady Flames registered 86.  Senior Maggie Ramm came up with 34 digs, the second-highest match total in school history, to lead Emory in that category.

Emory returns to action on Friday, Sept. 7 when it takes on UT-Dallas at 4:30 p.m.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL FACES ROAD TEST AT LEE UNIVERSITY


(Sept. 3) - MATCH FACTS - After posting four wins in its opening weekend of play, the 2007 Emory University volleyball team faces it first road test of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 4, when it ventures to Lee University.  Match time is slated for 7:00 p.m.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 342-99.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Andrea Hudson (Lee University, 1984) is in her 17th campaign at the helm of the Lady Flames' program and posts a school and career record of 536-189.  During her tenure, she has guided Lee University to 12 seasons of 30 or more wins and a total of six NAIA regional crowns.

SERIES RECORDS - In a series that dates from 1989, Emory holds a 10-9 edge in the all-time series against Lee University.  The teams split a pair of meetings last year with Lee recording a 3-1 win at Emory before the Eagles rebounded to claim a 3-0 triumph on the Lady Flames' home court.

2006 RECORDS - The Eagles enter the Lee match with a 4-0 record following a championship effort at the Emory Classic this past weekend.  Emory won 12 of 13 games en route to the crown, defeating Christopher Newport University, 3-0, and St. Thomas, 3-1 on Friday.  On Saturday, the Eagles recorded 3-0 victories against Puget Sound and Berry College.

Lee opened its 2007 campaign last Thursday with a five-game win over Shorter.  The Lady Flames, a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference, are coming off a fine 2006 season that saw them finish with an overall record of 32-9 that included a conference title.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 227-44 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 52-9 mark over the last four seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005, 15-4 in 2006 and 4-0 in 2007).

EMORY PLAYERS EARN ALL-TOURNEY HONORS - Three Eagles gained berths on the Emory Classic All-Tournament Team led by senior libero Maggie Ramm who claimed MVP honors.  Joining Ramm were senior Courtney Rose and sophomore Kaitlin Westfall.

Ramm played in all 13 games and totaled a team-high 54 digs (4.15 dpg), 13 assists and five service aces.  Ramm's strong defensive play helped the Eagles hold their four opponents to a combined 11.3 attack percentage.  Ramm accounted for a team-high 11 digs and three aces in a 3-0 win over Christopher Newport before tying for the team high with 15 digs while chipping in six assists in a 3-1 triumph against No. 11 St. Thomas.  In a 3-0 decision against Puget Sound, Ramm recorded a team-best 22 digs.

Rose, who returned to the lineup after missing last season rehabbing a knee injury, appeared in three matches and 10 games over the weekend, averaging a team-high 4.00 kills per game while coming up with 3.30 digs per game. 

Westfall led all Eagles with 13 total blocks and hit 30.4 percent (28-11-56). 

EMORY NOTES - Ramm's 22 digs in the Puget Sound match represented her 10th career match or 20 or more digs ... Ramm's 54 digs over the four matches upped her career total to 801, good for 11th place on the school's all-time chart ... Over the weekend, she moved past Stephanie Turner's (1991-94) mark of 794 ... Madison Robelen moved into fifth place on Emory's all-time ladder in assists and now has 1,757 to her credit ... Robelen moved past Kristi Bush's career total of 1,684 set from 1988-89 and 1991 ... Dani Huffman recorded double figures in kills in three of four matches over the weekend, giving her 22 career outings of double digits in that category ... A pair of Emory freshmen, Kelsey Krzyston and Ana Ramirez made key contributions during the opening week of play ... Krzyston saw action in 12 games and registered 10 service aces, including seven against Berry College, and came up with 42 digs ... Ramirez also played in 12 games and doled out six aces ... Emory finished the weekend with a decided 36-8 edge in aces.

ON THE HORIZON - Following Tuesday's match at Lee, the Eagles will host the Emory Invitational the weekend of Sept. 7-8.  Included in this year's field are Birmingham Southern, Averett, Rhodes, UT-Dallas, Oglethorpe and Augustana.  Action starts on Friday at noon.  Emory's first of two matches that day takes place at 4:30 pm against UT-Dallas.

EMORY TABBED FOR NO. 5 SPOT NATIONALLY IN PRESEASON POLL - The Emory volleyball team held down the No. 5 spot in the CSTV/AVCA Preseason Top 25 Volleyball Poll.  The Eagles received one first-place vote and totaled 517 points.  Juniata College, the defending national champ, claimed the No. 1 spot in the poll with 579 points after receiving 14 of the 24 first-place votes.  On the heels of Juniata with 566 points was Wittenberg who tallied six first-place votes.  UW-Whitewater (542 pts.) and Washington University (531 pts.) held down the No. 3 and 4 positions, respectively.

EMORY NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2007 - Head Coach Jenny McDowell has announced that seniors Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) along with junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) will serve as captains of the 2007 Eagles' volleyball squad.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL STORMS TO TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP

(Sept. 1) -- The No. 5-ranked Emory volleyball team closed out its opening weekend of action with an impressive effort this afternoon, picking up two wins en route to claiming the championship in the Emory Classic. 

The Eagles capped off a perfect 4-0 weekend with a pair of three-game victories on Saturday, defeating Puget Sound, 30-28, 30-22, 30-25 before topping Berry College 30-22, 30-21, 30-17.

As was the case on Friday, Emory was sparked by a solid defensive effort that saw it hold its two opponents to a combined .097 hitting percentage.  The Eagles recorded 110 digs compared to 99 for the opposition and enjoyed a decided 18-4 edge in service aces.

In the Puget Sound match, senior Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA) led all players with 18 kills and picked up 12 digs.  Junior Maggie Baird (San Antonio, TX) was the other Emory player to finish in double digits in attacks with 12.  Junior Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) doled out 43 assists while Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) contributed 22 digs to aid in the win.

In the tourney finale, Emory hit 25.4 percent (52-22-18) and held the Vikings to .088 percent (27-18-102).  Freshman Kelsey Krzyston (Noblesville, IN) played a key role in the triumph, tying for the team lead with 11 kills, dishing out seven aces and totaling a team-high 11 digs.  Junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) came through 11 terminations to round out Emory's the double-figure attackers.

"This was the strongest season-opening tournament Emory has been in and the team responded well," said Emory assistant coach Eric Hawes.  "We received contributions from everybody throughout the weekend in all areas of the game.  That shows that we have depth as well as experience.  We played like a team that has been together awhile."

Emory's Maggie Ramm, Courtney Rose and Kaitlin Westfall were named to the all-tournament team with Ramm earning MVP honors.  Ramm set the tone defensively and racked up an average of 4.15 digs per game.  Rose, who appeared in three matches and 10 games over the weekend, averaged a team-high 4.00 kills per game while coming up with 3.30 digs per game.  Westfall led all Eagles with 13 total blocks and hit 30.4 percent (28-11-56).  Others who earned spots included Emily Foster and Katie Kremer of St. Thomas, Monica Groves of Puget Sound and Meghan Francis of Berry College.

Emory returns to action on Tuesday (Sept. 4) when it plays at Lee University.

EMORY VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON WITH TWO VICTORIES

(Aug. 31) -- The No. 5-ranked Emory volleyball team started the 2007 season in fine fashion by posting a pair of wins in the Emory Classic.  The Eagles opened the tourney with a 3-0 win over Christopher Newport (30-26, 30-24, 30-16) before topping No. 11-ranked St. Thomas by a 3-1 margin (30-28, 27-30, 30-24, 30-17).

The Eagles of Jenny McDowell used a solid defensive effort against the Captains of Christopher Newport, holding the visitors to just a .056 hitting percentage (33-27-116).  Emory finished with a 47-39 advantage in digs and registered a 6-4 edge in total blocks.  Junior middle Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA)  shared for the team lead in kills with 11 and posted an impressive 56.2 attack percentage (11-2-16).  Huffman also chalked up three digs and three total blocks.  Senior Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), the 2005 National Player of the Year, returned to the lineup after missing the 2006 campaign and knocked down 11 kills along with seven digs.  Junior Madison Robelen (Boca Raton, FL) dished out 37 assists while chipping in eight digs.

Emory had its hands full against the scrappy Tommies of St. Thomas with both squads turning in some stellar play.  The Eagles hit to the tune of 25.5 percent (70-23-184) while St. Thomas finished with a 17.5 percent mark (55-25-171).  Sophomore Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) led a balanced hitting attack with 19 kills while Huffman registered 14 terminations while hitting 38.7 percent (14-2-31).  Rose came through with 11 kills and 14 digs and Robelen rounded out the quartet of double-digit attackers with 11 kills and 15 digs.  Sophomore middle Kaitlin Westfall (St. Louis, MO) gave Emory a boost and picked up nine kills.

"It was a good win for the team this evening, especially with it team being on a roller-coaster of sorts with a preseason injury to freshman Amelia McCall and Janet Bunning not yet ready to return to the lineup," McDowell said.  "It was good to see some players step up and come through in a big way. 

"I thought that Dani Huffman and Kaitlin did a good job in the middle and it was fun to have Courtney Rose back on the court again.  Our passers did a great job and were right on the money most of the night.  I give St. Thomas lot of credit.  They keep good defense and are tough to play against."

Emory continues play in the Classic on Saturday when it battles Puget Sound at 2:00 p.m. before closing out play against Berry College at 4:30.

2007 EMORY CLASSIC SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Friday, Aug 31
2:00 p.m.
Berry defeats Christopher Newport (30-24, 30-21, 29-31, 30-27)
Puget Sound defeats St. Thomas (30-28, 13-30, 26-30, 30-21, 15-7)

4:30 p.m.
Emory defeats Christopher Newport (30-26, 30-24, 30-16)
Berry defeats vs. Puget Sound (23-30, 30-23, 31-29, 31-29)

7:00 p.m.
Emory defeats St. Thomas (30-28, 27-30, 30-24, 30-17)

Saturday, Sept. 1
11:30 a.m.
Puget Sound defeats Christopher Newport (30-27, 30-32, 30-24, 30-26)

2:00 p.m.
Emory defeats Puget Sound (30-28, 30-22, 30-25)
St. Thomas defeats Berry (30-26, 30-26, 27-30, 30-19)

4:30 p.m.
Emory defeats Berry (30-22, 30-21, 30-17)
St. Thomas defeats Christopher Newport (24-30, 31-29, 30-24, 25-30, 15-10)

All-Tournament Team
Courtney Rose -- Emory
Maggie Ram -- Emory
Kaitlin Westfall -- Emory
Emily Foster -- St. Thomas
Katie Kremer -- St. Thomas
Meghan Francis -- Berry College
Monica Groves -- University of Puget Sound

MVP -- Maggie Ramm -- Emory

EMORY VOLLEYBALL SQUAD TO OPEN 2007 CAMPAIGN

MATCH FACTS -- The 2007 Emory University volleyball team opens the program's 21st season of intercollegiate play this Friday and Saturday (August 31-Sept. 1) when it plays host to the Emory Classic.  Joining the Eagles in this weekend's tourney are Berry College, Christopher Newport, University of Thomas and University of Puget Sound.  The Eagles get underway on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. when they battle Christopher Newport.  Emory closes out Friday's competition at 7:00 p.m. when it meets St. Thomas.  On Saturday, Emory takes on Puget Sound at 2:00 p.m. and Berry at 4:30 p.m.

THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) starts her 12th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, McDowell has posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 338-99.  She has eight campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a 2003 Final Four appearance.

Lindsay Birch (Christopher Newport, '02) begins her sixth year as head coach of the Christopher Newport program.  Birch has manufactured a school and career record of 135-51 that includes four regular-season USA South Conference championships.   

The University of St. Thomas is led by Thanh Pham (Augsburg College, '97) who starts his fifth year with the program.  During his stint with the Tommies, he has posted a fine 103-27 mark that includes two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and a pair of NCAA berths. 

The 2007 campaign will mark the 12th year that Mark Massey (Furman) has guided the University of Puget Sound program.  Massey takes a school record of 195-89 won-lost effort into the weekend and has directed the Loggers to three Northwest Conference titles.

Brianne Smedley (Mississippi State, 01) will kick off her third season as head coach at Berry College and posts a fine 63-21 ledger.

SERIES RECORDS -- Emory holds a 6-0 edge in the all-time series against Christopher Newport University.  The last meeting took place in 2005 where the Eagles claimed a 3-0 win.

Emory stands 1-0 against Berry with the only meeting taking place in 2005 (a 3-0 Emory win).

Emory shows a 1-0 mark against St. Thomas with that triumph coming during the 2002 campaign.

This weekend's matchup between Emory and Puget Sound will represent the first-ever meeting in volleyball.

2006 RECORDS - Emory is coming off a fine 2006 season that saw the team compile an overall record of 28-11.  The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the regional finals.

Christopher Newport finished with a 27-10 record including a 13-1 effort in USA South Conference action, good for a first-place tie.  Senior Brittany Collins played a key role in helping the team to that success and was named USA South Conference Player of the Year as well as honorable mention All-American.  

St. Thomas posted an impressive 29-7 won-lost mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where it lost to eventual national semifinalist UW-Whitewater in a second-round match.  St. Thomas is ranked No. 11 in the nation in the 2007 CSTV/AVCA Preseason Poll.

The University of Puget Sound produce a 16-7 record in 2006.  The Loggers hold down the No. 27 position in the CSTV/AVCA Preseason Poll.

Berry College enjoyed a breakout season in 2006, establishing a school record for wins en route to a 35-9 record.  The Vikings concluded the year ranked No. 22 in the nation among NAIA schools.

EMORY A FORCE AT HOME - The Eagles have established an excellent home court advantage over the years, fashioning a record of 223-44 since 1992.  Included in that record is a 48-9 mark over the last three seasons (18-2 in 2004, 15-3 in 2005 and 15-4 in 2006). 

ON THE HORIZON - Following this weekend's action, the Eagles will host the Emory Invitational the weekend of Sept. 7-8.  Included in this year's field are Birmingham Southern, Averett, Rhodes, UT-Dallas, Oglethorpe and Augustana.  Action starts on Friday at noon.  Emory's first of two matches that day takes place at 4:30 pm against UT-Dallas.

EMORY TABBED FOR NO. 5 SPOT NATIONALLY IN PRESEASON POLL - The Emory volleyball squad holds down the No. 5 spot in the CSTV/AVCA Preseason Top 25 Volleyball Poll.  The Eagles received one first-place vote and totaled 517 points.  Juniata College, the defending national champ, claims the No. 1 spot in the poll with 579 points after receiving 14 of the 24 first-place votes.  On the heels of Juniata with 566 points is Wittenberg who tallied six first-place votes.  UW-Whitewater (542 pts.) and Washington University (531 pts.) held down the No. 3 and 4 positions, respectively.

EMORY NAMES CAPTAINS FOR 2007 - Head Coach Jenny McDowell has announced that seniors Courtney Rose (Palo Alto, CA), Janet Bunning (Washington, DC), Maggie Ramm (Tampa, FL) along with junior Dani Huffman (San Diego, CA) will serve as captains of the 2007 Eagles' volleyball squad.

EMORY SPORTS TO UTILIZE LIVE ONLINE STATS BEGINNING IN 2007

(Aug. 24) Starting with the Fall 2007 season, Emory University fans will be able to follow games live online for free, through Emory's new live statistics feature.

Live statistics online will be available for all men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, softball, and baseball home games.  This service will be provided in addition to the Teamline audio broadcasts of all Emory home games.

To access the live stats for a game, go to your selected sports' homepage the day of the event, and click on the ‘Live Stats' logo and link.  The page will refresh itself every 30 seconds, keeping you updated with the most current plays.  

 EMORY VOLLEYBALL RANKED NO. 5 IN CSTV/AVCA PRESEASON POLL

Hopes are high in the Emory volleyball camp during the early stages of fall drills and those optimistic expectations are shared by voters in the CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Preseason Poll with the Eagles holding down the No. 5 position.  Emory finished with 517 points and one first-place vote.

Head Coach Jenny McDowell enters her 12th season at the helm of the program with a total of 14 letterwinners from last season's club that posted an overall won-lost slate of 28-11 that included an 11th straight appearance to the NCAA Tournament. Among the returnees are senior middle Janet Bunning, a first team All-America honoree from 2006, and sophomore outside Alysse Meyer, who garnered third team All-America status last season.  In addition, fifth-year senior Courtney Rose, the 2005 AVCA National Player of the Year, is back after sitting out last year rehabbing from an injury.

Holding down the No. 1 spot in the preseason rankings is defending national champ Juniata College with 14 first-place votes and 572 total points.  Wittenberg is No. 2 with 566 points while Wisconsin-Whitewater (542 pts.) and Washington University (531 pts.) stand Nos. 3-4, respectively.

The Eagles opens the 2007 campaign the weekend of August 31-Sept. 1 when they host the Emory Classic.