• 2023 Final National Ranking: #9
  • Two NCAA National Championships (2008 & 2018)
  • NCAA Final Four: 2019, 2018, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2008, 2003
  • 27 NCAA Tournament Appearances
  • 10 UAA Championships

Emory Volleyball To Meet Eastern University In NCAA Quarterfinals

Emory Volleyball To Meet Eastern University In NCAA Quarterfinals
Posted: Nov 19, 2013

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS – The No. 7-ranked Emory University volleyball team will meet Eastern University on Thursday (Nov. 21) in a quarterfinal-round match of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships.  The Eagles are one of eight teams remaining in the original field of 64 squads who will be competing for the national crown this weekend.  All action will take place at the DeVos Field House on the campus of Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

A schedule of the matches are listed below

THURSDAY
Eastern, Pa. (32-4) vs. Emory, Ga. (33-4), 12:30 p.m.
Calvin (32-1) vs. Mass.-Boston (24-15), 3 p.m.
Cal Lutheran (33-1) s. Clarkson, N.Y. (36-6), 5:30 p.m.
Hope (32-2) vs. UW-Stevens Point (34-4), 8 p.m.

FRIDAY
Calvin/Mass-Boston winner vs. Emory/Eastern winner, 5 p.m.
Hope/Stevens Point winner vs. Cal Lutheran/Clarkson winner, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
Championship  -- 7 p.m.

EMORY HEAD COACH JENNY McDOWELL – Emory head coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 18th year at the helm of the Eagles' program.  During her stint at Emory, she has compiled a school and career record of 578-138.  She has 15 campaigns of 30 or more wins, and has directed the program to 18 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.  She has steered the Eagles to three berths to the national semifinals and has a national championship to her credit in 2008.  McDowell has a career won-lost mark of 34-17 in NCAA matches.

2013 RECORDS – Emory, ranked No. 7 nationally among Division III teams in the AVCA Top 25 Poll, stands 33-4 in overall play.  The Eagles advanced to the Round of 8 after hosting and winning the Atlanta Regional.  Emory defeated Agnes Scott, 3-0, in the first round before topping Berry College, 3-1 in the semifinals.  In the championship contest, the Eagles bested Colorado College by a 3-1 score.

Eastern University, ranked No. 17, meets Emory with a record of 32-4. The Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in school history after winning the Huntingdon, Penn., Regional hosted by Juniata College, coming through with 3-0 wins over Johns Hopkins in the first round, Christopher Newport in the semifinals and Stevenson in the final.  The Eagles are led by 24th year head coach Mark Birtwistle (595-196)

Calvin College is guided by 12th-year head coach Amber Warners and enters the national championships competition ranked No. 1 in the nation with an overall record of 32-1.  The Knights, members of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, hosted the opening rounds last weekend and defeated Penn State-Behrend, 3-0 before posting 3-2 nailbiters over Mount Union in the semis and No. 10 Wittenberg in the finals.

UMASS-Boston of the Little East Conference, checks in with a record of 24-15.  The Beacons, led by ninth-year co-head coach Terry Condon, battled through the New England Regional this past weekend, topping Wellesley College, 3-0, in their opening test before notching a 3-1 decision over Roger Williams in the semifinals.  UMASS-Boston then notched a 3-1 verdict over host Williams in the title clash, giving the program its third regional crown in the past four years. 

No. 19 Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 34-4, earned its first trip to the NCAA quarterfinals after a stirring run at the St. Paul, Minn., Regional that was hosted by St. Thomas.  UWSP won its first-round match, 3-2, over Wartburg before claiming a 3-1 decision vs. Saint Benedict in the semifinals.  In the finals, the Pointers captured their 23rd straight match with a 3-1 win over St. Thomas. UW-Stevens Point is directed by first-year head coach Abbey Sutherland.

Hope College, ranked No. 2 in D-III, hosts this year's national championships with a slate of 32-2.  The Flying Dutch captured the Elmhurst, Ill., Regional last weekend, upending Webster (3-0), Otterbein (3-1) and host Elmhurst (3-1).  Hope's only two setbacks this year have come against Calvin College.

Eighth-year head coach Kellee Roesel calls the shots for a talented Cal Lutheran squad that boasts and overall record of 33-1 and a No. 3 national ranking.  The Regals advanced to the quarterfinals after winning the San Antonio Regional hosted by Trinity University, defeating the host Tigers, 3-1, in the finals. 

The Knights of Clarkson University stand 36-6 after a championship effort during regional play last weekend.  Head coach Johan Dulfer saw his squad defeat Westfield State (3-0) and New York University (3-1) in the first two matches before battling to a 3-1 triumph over SUNY-New Paltz in the finals.
 

SERIES RECORDS  – Emory stands 4-0 all-time against Eastern.  The last meeting took place at Juniata College's 2012 Wid Guisler Invitational where Emory prevailed by a 3-1 margin.

Calvin has a victory in the only meeting between the schools with that taking place in the 2010 national championship contest in Saint Louis.  The Knights defeated the Eagles by a 3-1 score.

If Emory were to meet either UW-Stevens Point or Clarkson, it would the first meeting against those programs. 

Emory holds a 2-0 record against Hope College.  The last time the teams met was in 2007 when the Eagles swept the Flying Dutch at Illinois Wesleyan.

Emory and UMASS-Boston have met on one occasion, that coming at the 2012 Emory National Invitational where the Eagles posed a 3-0 win.

EMORY AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT – Emory's appearance in this year's NCAA Tournament Championship represents the program's 19th appearance in the event, and the 18th during Jenny McDowell's tenure as head coach.  The Eagles post an all-time record of 34-18 in NCAA play, 34-17 under McDowell.  The Eagles have played 18 NCAA matches on their home floor and stand 14-4 in those contests while showing a 20-14 slate in road/neutral matches.

EMORY AND THE NCAA FIELD – Emory played a total of 18 matches against 15 teams that advanced to this year's NCAA Tournament Championship.  The Eagles enjoyed a fair amount of success against this year's field, racking up a 14-4 won-lost mark.  The Eagles battled three NCAA Tourney members on two occasions (Trinity University, 2-0; Washington University, 1-1 and Chicago, 0-2).

EMORY ENJOYS SUCCESS ON HOME FLOOR – The Eagles have enjoyed considerable success over the years playing at the Woodruff PE Center compiling a home won-lost slate of 316-50 (.863) since 1992. 

More recently, Emory has been dominant at the Woodpec, compiling a 93-7 record at home since the 2008 campaign.  In 2013, the Eagles were successful in 19 of 20 home matches with the lone setback coming at the hands of Cal Lutheran, 0-3, on Sept. 14.  The Eagles closed out 2013 with a 16-match home win streak.

TRIO SERVES AS EMORY CAPTAINS – Serving as the captains for the 2013 Emory volleyball team are senior Sarah Taub (Boulder, CO), and juniors Cat McGrath (St. Louis, MO) and Kate Bowman (Corpus Christi, TX).

BOWMAN PACES SQUAD IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES – Junior Kate Bowman's career-high 20-kill, 13-dig outing against Trinity (Nov. 2) at the Emory National Invitational represented her team-leading 10th double-double (kills/digs) of the season.   The 5-foot-10 Bowman is no stranger to that category with a total of 23 double-doubles during her career.


Bowman is second on the team and ninth among UAA performers in kills (2.83 kps), and has recorded 17 matches with 10 or more terminations.   Bowman also ranks second on the squad and 14th on the league ladder with a 2.66 digs-per-set average.  She has racked up 16 matches of double-figure digs this season.  A First Team choice to the All-UAA Team, Bowman was recently named to the AVCA All-South Region Team while garnering honorable mention All-America kudos.

ERWIN ANCHORS STRONG EMORY DEFENSE --  Sophomore libero Taylor Erwin, a honorable-mention selection to the All-UAA team her first two campaigns, has been a lynchpin of a strong Emory defense with her team-high 4.54 digs-per-set average placing her fifth among the UAA leaders.  The 5-foot-10 Erwin has totaled 20 or more digs on 14 occasions this year including a pair of 28-dig efforts against Southwestern (Sept. 14) Randolph-Macon (Sept. 7), tying her third-highest total and good for 12th place on the Eagles' single-match list.  In last weekend's action, she picked up 20 defensive saves in the 3-1 decision over Berry before topping all players with 24 digs in the Colorado College contest.  Her play has helped the Eagles limit their opponents to just a .125 hitting percentage, good for second place among UAA teams.

Career-wise, Erwin has registered 28 matches of 20 or more digs and her total of 1,262 ranks 3rd on the school's all-time chart, just 46 shy of moving into the No. 2 position.

Her season total of 609 digs places her second on the Emory ladder, 45 from passing her yearly record of 653.

During the opening weekend of action, Erwin was named to the Courtyard Marriott Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 5.42 digs per set in helping the Eagles to a 3-0 record. One of her outings at the Invitational was a 27-digs effort in a 3-2 win over then No. 1 St. Thomas.

 

JACOBS BOOSTING THE EMORY OFFENSE – Junior Leah Jacobs has given the Emory offense boost with her recent play and will enter this weekend's action with  double-figure kills in seven of her last nine matches.  Jacobs has dished out 110 terminations over those last nine contests, giving her a team-leading average of 2.90 kills per set, good for eighth place on the UAA list. In last weekend's Atlanta Regional, Jacobs, who has registered 20 matches of double-figure kills, hit .280 (28-7—75) and averaged 2.55 kills per set. 

In a 3-2 decision over Trinity at the Emory National Invitational (Nov. 22), Jacobs led Emory with a career-best 22 kills and followed that performance up at the UAA Championships by leading the squad in that department against Case Western (16) and Washington University (12).

McGRATH PUTTING UP IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS – As the Eagles prepare for their trip to Hope College for the NCAA Championships, junior Cat McGrath looks to continue her stellar play that has seen her lead all UAA players and ranking seventh nationally in hitting percentage (.391).   A Second Team All-UAA selection as well as a honorable mention All-American, the 6-foot-2 McGrath has hit .400 or better in 22 matches and has produced 10 or more kills on 16 occasions. She paced the team with 13 successful attack attempts, hit .600 (13-1—20) and totaled four blocks in a 3-1 NCAA sound-round NCAA win over Berry last weekend.   In addition, McGrath is second on the squad and third in the UAA in blocks (0.86 bps).
 

HOLLER RAKING IN THE HONORS – First-year middle Jessica Holler has received a number of honors recently, including a second-team spot on the AVCA D-III All-America Team. Earlier, the 6-foot-1 Holler was tabbed as first-team honoree on the All-UAA Team and was selected as both the league and the AVCA South Region Rookie of the Year.  She is the seventh player in program history to have been tabbed as the South Region Rookie of the Year.

Holler has played vital role in the team's success this year with her league-high 1.10 blocks-per-set average ranking 20th nationally.  Holler has 10 matches of five or more blocks including a nine-block (1-8) performance vs. NYU (Oct. 5) that represents the high-water mark by an Emory player this season. Holler has totaled 143 total blocks (25-118) this year, good for the No. 6 position on the Eagles' seasonal list.  In the hitting department, her .355 hitting percentage (320-83—668) is second in the UAA and 32nd nationally.  She has hit .350 or higher in 13 of her last 20 matches and is coming off a huge match against Colorado College in the championship game of the Atlanta Regional where she hit .696 on the strength of a career-high 16 kills with no errors in 23 swings. She has turned in four contests this year where she has finished with 10 or more kills and no miscues (Sept. 21 vs. Covenant, 10-0—10; Oct. 5 vs. NYU, 10-0—12; Nov. 8 vs. Wash U, 10-0—22 and Nov. 17 vs. Colorado College, 16-0—23).   
 
MILES TABBED AS AVCA FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN – Sydney Miles brought home her second straight first-team berth on the AVCA All-America Team that was announced on Nov. 19.  The 6-foot-1 Miles paces the UAA and ranks 21st nationally in assists (10.18 aps), and is also averaging 1.98 digs and 1.21 kills per set.  Earlier this season, Miles was named to the All-UAA First Team for the second straight year, and her total of 1,334 assists ranks 10th on the school seasonal ladder.  Miles is coming off a strong effort at last weekend's Atlanta Regional where she was named the Most Outstanding Player after averaging 10.36 assists, 2.09 digs and 0.73 blocks per set. Career-wise, Miles has 2,719 assists to her credit, good for the No. 6 position all-time at the school.
 
NOTES – Freshman Sarah Maher turned in an unheralded but important role in last weekend's first-place effort at the Atlanta Regional, hitting .413 (24-5—46) and averaging 2.18 kills per set.  Maher was one of two Eagles to post double figures with 10 kills and finished with a hitting effort of .471 (10-2—17) in the Colorado College contest.  Heading into the national quarterfinals, Maher has come up with four contests of double-figure terminations this season … Emory has finished with a higher attack percentage than the opposition in 32 of 37 matches this year … The Eagles lead the UAA and rank 7th nationally in hitting percentage (.261) … Emory paces all UAA squads and is 31st among all D-III programs in blocks (2.09 bps) … Freshman Catalina Jimenez's 10 digs against Berry College in the Atlanta Regional semifinals represented her fifth performance this year with double figures in that category … Emory's 3-2 victory over St. Thomas (Sept. 6)  raised the program's record to 8-9 in matches against No. 1-ranked teams … Emory has a 6-4 record against teams that have been ranked in this year's  AVCA Top 25 Poll … The Eagles dished out a season high 14 service aces against Agnes Scott in their NCAA opener, the fourth time this season they had cracked the double-figure mark in that category.
 
EMORY 2013 HONORS – So far this year, Emory players have racked up a variety of honors which are noted below

AVCA ALL-AMERICAN
 Sydney Miles – First Team
Jessica Holler – Second Team
Cat McGrath – Honorable Mention
Kate Bowman – Honorable Mention

AVCA ALL-SOUTH REGION
 Sydney Miles
Jessica Holler, Region Rookie of the Year
Kate Bowman
Cat McGrath

ALL-UAA 

Kate Bowman – First Team
Jessica Holler – First Team, Co-Rookie of the Year
Sydney Miles – First Team
Cat McGrath – Second Team
Taylor Erwin – Honorable Mention
Leah Jacobs – Honorable Mention


NCAA ATLANTA ALL-REGIONAL TEAM
 Kate Bowman
Sydney Miles (Most Outstanding Player)

CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
 Leah Jacobs

 
UAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Nov. 18 – Sydney Miles
Nov. 4 – Cat McGrath (offense)
Nov. 4 – Taylor Erwin (defense)
Oct. 7 – Jessica Holler
Sept. 23 – Jessica Holler
Sept. 16 – Sydney Miles
Sept. 3 --  Sydney Miles

 
EMORY NATIONAL INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT (NOV. 1-2)

Cat McGrath (MVP)
Sydney Miles
Kate Bowman

EMORY TOURNAMENT ALL-TOURNAMENT (SEPT. 27-28)
 Sydney Miles (MVP)
Jessica Holler
Taylor Erwin


EMORY INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT (SEPT. 20-21)
Kate Bowman – MVP
Leah Jacobs
Sydney Miles

EMORY CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT  (SEPT. 13-14)
 Sydney Miles
Cat McGrath


RANDOLPH-MACON INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT (SEPT. 6-7)
 Jessica Holler
Sydney Miles

WITTENBERG INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT (Aug. 30- Aug. 31)
 Sydney Miles
Taylor Erwin