The 2012 Emory volleyball team recorded yet another successful season with the squad coming through with a number of significant accomplishments. 

For the record, Emory finished 2012 with an overall record of 33-6, tying the fourth-highest win total in school annals. The 33 triumphs represented the program’s 14^th campaign of 30 or more wins during the 17-year tenure of head coach Jenny McDowell and marked the school’s 19^th consecutive winning campaign.  

In addition to the impressive final record, other significant Emory volleyball achievements included:

** Earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th consecutive year.  For the second straight year, the Eagles were sent packing to the Newport News Regional that was hosted by Christopher Newport.  After eliminating Salem, 3-0, in the first round and No. 23 Juniata, 3-1 in the second round, Emory saw its hopes of reaching the Final Eight of nationals come to an end when it dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 6-ranked Christopher Newport in the regional final.

** Concluding the regular season ranked fourth nationally and owning the No. 8 spot in the final poll as conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.  The Eagles have been ranked in the top 20 in every weekly poll by the AVCA for the last 16 seasons.

** Capturing the program’s fifth overall UAA title and third in the past four years.  The Eagles hosted the 2012 UAA Championships and defeated Case Western Reserve, 3-1, in the semifinals before upending No. 1-ranked Washington University, 3-2, in the finals. It marked the ninth straight year that the Eagles and Bears had met for the conference crown..  Emory finished the UAA portion of the schedule with an 8-1 record, and now owns a 57-6 ledger in conference affairs since the 2007 season.  

** Ranking prominently on the national scene in various number of statistical categories including 17^th in kills per set (13.34 kps), 12th in hitting percentage (.251), 14th in assists per set (12.27 aps) and 16th in winning percentage (.846). 

** Having three players bring home All-American acclaim -- Breanah Bourque, Sydney Miles and Alex Duhl. 

** Having Breanah Bourque named the UAA Most Valuable Player and Sydney Miles the league’s Rookie of the Year.

** Having Jenny McDowell named as the AVCA South Region Coach of the Year for the second straight season and the fifth time during her career (2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012).  

** Playing a total of 12 matches against teams that were ranked in the top 25 and finishing 9-3 in those encounters. The Eagles defeated four squads that were ranked in the top 10 at the time of the match with a 3-2 decision over No. 1-ranked Washington University (Nov. 3) the highest-ranked foe that it beat during the year.

** The Woodruff PE Center provided Emory with a definite home-court advantage with the squad recording a 13-2 slate.   Over the last nine years, the Eagles stand an impressive 137-18 in home matches (74-6 since 2008).

** During the regular season, playing a total of 17 matches against 15 teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament and recording a 14-3 effort in those affairs.

Breanah Bourque closed out her career in a big way, landing AVCA First Team All-America honors for the second straight season while earning First Team All-UAA acclaim for the third straight campaign.  Bourque, who was also named the conference’s MVP, topped both the team and the league, while ranking seventh nationally, with a .398 hitting percentage with that mark placing seventh on the Eagles’ seasonal list.  Bourque, who compiled 29 matches of double-figure kills, pounded out 511 terminations during the year, tying for the second-highest individual season effort in school annals.  She finished her four-year tenure with the program in the No. 1 spot in career hitting percentage (.390) and in the No. 5 position with 1,532 kills. A formidable defensive presence at the net, she holds down the No. 5 slots in total blocks (393) and block assists (282).

Freshman setter Sydney Miles filled in nicely for the graduated Natalie Schonefeld and was afforded a variety of honors including a First Team All-America nod by the AVCA.  Miles finished out the year tops in the UAA and 10^th on the national scene with a 10.74 assists-per-set average, with that effort third on the school’s seasonal chart.  Miles,  A First Team All-UAA as well as the conference’s Rookie of the Year award recipient, doled out 1,385 assists, eighth on the school’s seasonal list, and her dependable play helped the Eagles finish the season ranked 12^th among all Division III programs in hitting percentage.

Senior middle Alex Duhl played a key role in the team’s success, seeing action in all 39 matches and in 147 out of a possible 148 sets.  Duhl’s all-around performance throughout the season enabled her to claim Second Team All-America acclaim. A First Team All-UAA pick, she was second on the team and fifth on the league ladder in hitting percentage (.299) while her 2.24 kills-per-set mark ranked her among the conference’s top-20 performers.  Defensively, she was sixth in the league in blocks (0.72 bps) and her 81 blocks assists placed her 15^th on the Eagles’ seasonal listing.  Career-wise, Duhl ranks eighth on Emory’s all-time ladder with a .319 attack percentage (705-191—1612) and is 11^th in total blocks.

A pair of Emory veterans, Alena Ransom and Taylor Trew, closed out their four-year careers helping the program to 139 wins, three UAA titles and one appearance in the national championship match. Ransom played in a total of 108 matches and averaged 1.47 kills and 0.47 blocks per set while Trew concluded her stint as an Eagle play appearing in 32 matches.