UAA Volleyball Championships Web Site
The No. 2-ranked Emory volleyball team begins the 'second season' of its schedule this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 4-5) when it aims to defend its title at the University Athletic Association Championships. Serving as the host for the event will be New York University. All matches will be played at the Coles Sports & Recreation Center on the NYU campus.
The Eagles of head coach Jenny McDowell, 32-3 overall, enter the Championships as the No. 1 seed after posting a 7-0 record through the UAA Round Robins I & II. Emory's opening-round foe will be No. 8-seeded Brandeis on Friday starting at noon. The winner of the match will advance to the semifinals to play either Case Western or NYU later that day starting at 4:00 p.m. The championship tilt is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start on Saturday.
Emory heads into the UAA Championships with wins in eight of its last nine outings with the team's record tying the 2000 squad for the best 35-game mark in school history. The Eagles are coming off a 3-1 record at the Emory National Invitational last weekend, defeating Washington & Lee and No. 12 Juniata on Friday before topping No. 5 Heidelberg, 3-0, and dropping a five-set thriller to NAIA powerhouse Lee University on Saturday.
Heading into this weekend's action, the Eagles post a team attack percentage of .285, good for the No. 2 spot in the loop and sixth nationally. Leading the team in that department is junior Breanah Bourque with a .437 showing that leads all UAA performers and stands third on the national front. The 5-foot-11 middle has produced 20 contests of a .400 or higher hitting percentage while banging out double-figure kills totals on 18 occasions. Senior Amelia McCall is averaging a team-leading 3.96 kills per set that leads the UAA and that ranks 22nd among D-III performers. McCall, whose 412 terminations ranks 14th on the school's seasonal list, has registered 23 matches of 10 or more kills including three of 20 or more. Senior setter Natalie Schonefeld directs the Emory offense to the tune of 10.87 assists per set, second in the conference and eighth nationally.
Emory has won two straight and four UAA championships over the last six years. The Eagles notched their first title in 2005 and then brought home their second crown in 2007. In 2009, Emory topped then No. 3-ranked Washington University in the title match, and defended the crown a year ago with a 3-1 decision over the No. 1-ranked Wash U squad. Emory and Washington University are no strangers to each other at the UAAs, with the Eagles and Bears meeting in the championship affair for the last seven consecutive seasons.
Brandeis heads into the weekend with an overall slate of 9-18 and concluded Round Robin play with a ledger of 0-7. In their last action, the Judges lost to UMASS-Boston, 3-0, on Saturday. The Spartans of Case Western, 21-8 overall (4-3 UAA), are riding a five-match win streak into this weekend. Host NYU stands 19-14 overall after coming out on the short end of matches to RIT and SUNY-Fredonia last Saturday.
Emory Volleyball Team Looks To Defend Title At UAA Championships
Posted: Nov 03, 2011