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Emory sophomore Breanah Bourque recorded a career-high 24 kills and senior Amelia McCall chipped in 12 as the No. 1-ranked Eagles' volleyball team topped No. 3-ranked Washington University in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships in Saint Louis.  Emory ended the Bears' attempt to defend its national title following a 18-25, 29-27, 25-21, 25-20 decision.  With the victory, Emory advances to the national title match on Monday afternoon (Nov. 22) against Calvin College starting at 3:00 p.m. (EST).

The win was Emory's 19^th straight and raised its overall record to 36-4, the most wins in school history.  Monday's championship match against the Knights of Calvin (31-4), ranked 10^th nationally, will be the program's second in the past three years with the Eagles winning the 2008 national crown.

After seeing the host Bears hit 32.4 percent in capturing the first set, the Eagles regrouped and recorded an intense, back-and-forth 29-27 decision in the second game. The Eagles led by a 17-12 count following a kill by McCall but a 10-4 run by Wash U., put it up by a 22-21 margin. Back-to-back terminations by Bourque gave Emory a one-point lead but the Bears knotted the affair at 23-23 following an Emory attack error.  The Eagles then saw their foe fight off five set points before a kill by Bourque closed out the game.   

The important third game was closely contested and stood tied at 18-18 following a kill by the Bears' Meghan Byrne.  Put-aways by McCall, sophomore Alena Ransom, along with a hitting miscue by the home team, gave the Eagles some breathing room at 21-18, before a 3-1 Wash U drew it to a 22-21 deficit.  However, Emory answered the challenge and benefitted from kills by Ransom, junior Jessica McAlvany and a Bears' ball handling error to win the set and take a 2-1 advantage in the match. 

The fourth set saw Emory lead by an 11-9 margin before the Bears took a 13-12 lead following a kill by Lauren Budde.  The Eagles rattled off four unanswered points to lay claim to a 16-13 lead.  Wash U stayed within striking distance and trailed by just one point, 21-20, after a kill by Drew Hargrave.  But, Emory posted the match's last four points, two coming on kills by Bourque, including the winning termination.

Junior setter Natalie Schonefeld dished out 56 assists and picked up 13 digs in the victory.  Freshman Molly Landers paced the squad with 16 digs.

Monday's match against Calvin will mark the first-ever meetings between the two schools in volleyball.  Calvin is a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA), and advanced to the championship match after stunning No. 3-ranked Juniata, dropping the first two sets before rally for a 3-2 victory.


NOTES – Bourque's 24 kills represented the high-water mark by an Emory player this season … Emory now claims an all-time mark of 27-15 in NCAA Tournament action, 27-14 under head coach Jenny McDowell …  McCall now has 468 kills this season, seventh on the school's seasonal chart … Schonefeld has 1,507 assists this season, good for third place on the school's seasonal ladder … Bourque is hitting 36.5 percent this season, good for 10^th place on the school's seasonal list.