After enjoying a week off from competition, the Emory volleyball team closes out the regular-season portion of its schedule this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 30-31) when it hosts the Emory Invitational. The slate of matches is as follows:
Friday, October 30
1:30 pm – Bridgewater vs. Millsaps
1:30 pm – Juniata vs. Berry
4:00 pm – Emory vs. Bridgewater
4:00 pm – Clarkson vs. Washington and Lee
6:00 pm – Emory vs. Juniata
8:00 pm – Clarkson vs. Randolph-Macon
8:00 pm – Washington and Lee vs. Berry
Saturday, October 31
10:00 am – Emory vs. Millsaps
10:00 am – Berry vs. Bridgewater
12:00 pm – Emory vs. Clarkson
12:00 pm – Randolph-Macon vs. Millsaps
2:00 pm – Juniata vs. Washington and Lee
2:00 pm – Berry vs. Randolph-Macon
THE COACHES – Emory head coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 20th year at the helm of the Eagles' program and claims a school and career mark of 644-145. She has 16 campaigns of 30 or more wins, and has directed the program to 19 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. She has steered the Eagles to five berths to the national semifinals and has a national championship to her credit in 2008.
Erin Albert is in her fifth year as the head coach of the Bridgewater College program. Heading into a Wednesday contest vs. Eastern Mennonite, Albert posts a school and career record of 69-86.
In her fifth campaign as the head coach at Juniata is Heather Pavlik (Juniata, '95). During her tenure with the Eagles, Pavlik has logged a school and career mark of 138-34.
Calling the shots at Millsaps College is eighth-year head coach Jaime Fisher (Univ. of Mississippi, '02). Last year, she guided MC to a won-lost effort of 22-6.
Tenth-year head coach Johan Dulfer leads Clarkson into the weekend with a school record of 264-112, which includes nine straight campaigns of 20 or more wins. He has guided the Golden Knights to three consecutive trips to the Elite 8 in the NCAA D-III Tournament.
RECORDS – Emory, ranked No. 2 in the week's AVCA Top 25 Poll, will begin play in the Invitational with an overall record of 26-2. The Eagles have rattled off 14 straight wins including four at the University Athletic Association Round Robin II (Oct. 17-18) in Cleveland, Ohio. Emory closed out league play with a 7-0 leger and will be the No. 1 seed at the UAA Championships, Nov. 6-7, in Rochester, NY.
Bridgewater, a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, stands 7-18 heading into a home league tussle on Wednesday against Eastern Mennonite.
The top-ranked Juniata squad invades Atlanta with a 27-1 won-lost slate. The Eagles have won their last 12 outings and are coming off a 3-0 weekend at their Wid Guisler Invitational. JC's lone setback came on Sept. 29 at Clarion.
Millsaps College checks into the weekend the owners of a 13-13 mark. The Majors' last decision was a 3-0 Southern Athletic Association victory at Oglethorpe on Oct. 25.
Clarkson College, a member of the Liberty League, holds down the No. 17 spot in the AVCA Top 25 Poll. The Golden Knights are riding a four-match win streak that has boosted its record to 24-6.
SERIES RECORDS – Friday afternoon's match-up between Emory and Bridgewater will represent the first-ever meeting in volleyball between the schools.
In a series that dates from 1993, Juniata stands 9-8 all-time against Emory. The last meeting between the programs took place in 2013 with Emory registering a 3-1 on its home court.
Emory has claimed wins in all four meetings with Millsaps. The most recent contest was played in September of 2013, with the Eagles emerging with a 3-0 decision.
The Saturday's contest against Clarkson will be the initial meeting between the schools.
EMORY CAPTAINS – Serving as the captains for the 2015 Emory volleyball team will be the senior duo of Sydney Miles (Oklahoma City, OK) and Ashley Crawford (Naperville, IL), along with juniors Jessica Holler (Roswell, GA) and Sarah Maher (Orange, CA).
MILES IN RARIFIED AIR – Sydney Miles finds herself in the No. 2 spot on the program's all-time ladder with 5,447 assists, trailing only Natalie Schonefeld's (2008-11) top mark of 5,732.
Miles was named the UAA Setter/Defensive Player of the Week following the UAA Round Robin II after she averaged 11.81 assists and 2.43 digs per game in helping the Eagles to a 4-0 record.
She has doled out 50 or more assists on four occasions this year (19 during her career), including a season-high 58, tying her third-highest career total in a 3-2 win vs. Christopher Newport (Sept. 25).
Through matches played Oct. 24, Miles ranks No. 1 in the D-III ranks with an average of 11.68 assists per game.
In addition to her assists total, Miles stands in the No. 12 spot on the Eagles' all-time ladder with 981 digs.
EAGLES RACKING UP THE HONORS -- The following is a list of various honors that Emory players have received this season
Calvin College Labor Day Weekend Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 4-5)
Sydney Miles
Sarah Maher
Emory Classic All-Tournament Team (Sept. 11-12)
Sydney Miles (MVP)
Kathryn Trinka
Shannon Nugent
Emory National Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 18-19)
Sydney Miles
UAA Player of the Week
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – Sept. 8
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – Sept. 21
Jessica Holler (Offense) – Sept. 21
Kathryn Trinka (Offense) – Sept. 28
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – Sept. 28
Sarah Maher (Offense) – October 5
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – October 19
HOLLER ON HITTING TEAR – Jessica Holler hit a scorching .448 (31-5—58) during the UAA Round Robin II and has moved into the No. 1 spot among all Division III players with a .439 attack percentage (173-30—326).
One of her outings at the RR II saw her pound out a team-high 13 kills en route to a hitting performance of .684 (13-0—19) in a 3-0 triumph over No. 15 Chicago. It represented the 11th time this year in 21 matches that she hit .400 or higher.
Holler's .439 percentage currently ranks as the program's No. 1 seasonal mark. In addition to her stellar hitting percentage, Holler is ranked 20th among UAA performers in kills per set (2.31) and sixth in service aces per set (0.43). Holler has two or more aces to her credit in 11 matches this season.
NOTES– Emory leads the UAA and stands second nationally in hitting percentage (.294) … The Eagles have hit .300 or better in 12 contests this season … The Eagles are No. 2 in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.123) … Emory finished with 10 blocks against NYU in the UAA Round Robin II, the fourth time this season it recorded double figures in that category ... Kathryn Trinka leads the team and ranks No. 2 in the UAA with a 3.81 kills-per-set average, and has recorded 24 matches of double-figure kills … Trinka's 20 terminations in the Piedmont (Oct. 12) match tied her career high and tied the program's seventh-highest total for a three-set match … Trinka resides in the No. 7 spot on the UAA chart with a .290 hitting percentage (347-101—847) … Trinka has the top three and four of the top five individual kills total recorded by an Emory player this season … Freshman Becky Breuer is No. 4 on the UAA chart with an average of 4.57 digs per set and has chalked 20 double-figure dig efforts in her 24 matches … Breuer has six contests of 20 or more digs … Emory has played nine foes ranked in the Top 25 (7-2) … Emory has been dominant on its home floor, fashioning a 337-52 (.866) won-lost ledger since the 1992 campaign … Since the 2008 season, Emory stands 114-9 (.926) in contests played at the Woodruff PE Center … Freshman Karissa Dzurik's 11 kills vs. Chicago at the Round Robin II marked her 10th double-figure outing of the season … Emory's come-from-behind 3-2 win over Washington University at the RR II represented the 14th time in program history, and the first since Oct. 5, 2014, (vs. Carnegie Mellon) that it rallied from a 0-2 deficit for a victory … Junior Shannon Nugent produced a team-best five (1-4) total blocks against NYU, her sixth match of the season with five or more … Nugent stands ninth among UAA players in blocks (0.70 bps) … Nugent has been one of the Eagles' more efficient hitters, registering a .392 attack percentage (134-29—268) on the year, good for third place on the league ladder … Sarah Maher is second on the club and sixth in the UAA with a 2.87 kills-per-set average … Maher has recorded 10 or more terminations on 15 occasions this year … In addition, Maher is second on the club and 18th in the conference in digs (2.77 dps) … Emory has enjoyed an edge in hitting percentage in 26 matches this season and has been outhit in terms of percentage just three times over the last 71 contests … Jessica Holler paces the team and is No. 4 on the UAA ladder in blocks (0.83 bps) … Career-wise, Holler is No. 7 at Emory with 350 total blocks … Holler totaled a season-high eight blocks (1-7) against Washington, the high-water mark by an Emory player this season
NEW FACES ON THE EMORY ROSTER – Nine talented freshmen comprise this year's 19-player roster with those rookies being: Mady Arles (Richmond, VA), Mila Barzdukas (Studio City, CA), Becky Breuer (Aurora, IL), Karissa Dzurik (Columbia, PA), Mira Grinsfelder (St. Paul, MN), Yasmeen Johnson (Mundelein, IL), Sydney Leimbach (Atlanta, GA), Carly Saitman (Hidden Hills, CA) and Samantha Sestanovich (Manhattan Beach, CA).