The No. 1-ranked Emory volleyball team begins the 'second season' of its schedule this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 6-7) when it competes at the University Athletic Association Championships. Serving as the host of this year's event will be the University of Rochester.
The Eagles of head coach Jenny McDowell, 30-2 overall, enter the Championships as the No. 1 seed with a league mark of 7-0. Emory's opening-round foe will be No. 8 seed Brandeis (5-24, 0-7) with that bout taking place at noon on Friday. The winner of that contest advances to the semifinals later that day to meet the winner of the Carnegie Mellon (#4 seed) vs. Chicago (#5 seed) clash. The championship match is slated for a 1:00 pm start on Saturday, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA D-III Tournament. Below is schedule of the UAA Championships.
Friday, Nov. 6
12:00 pm – Match A – Emory vs. Brandeis
12:00 pm – Match D – Washington University vs. NYU
2:00 pm – Match B – Carnegie Mellon vs. Chicago
2:00 pm – Match C – Case Western Reserve vs. Rochester
4:00 pm -- Match G – Winner of Match A vs. Winner of Match B
4:00 pm – Match H – Winner of Match C vs. Winner of Match D
6:00 pm -- Match E – Loser of Match A vs. Loser of Match B
6:00 pm – Match F – Loser of Match C vs. Loser of Match D
Saturday, Nov. 8
10:00 am – 7th place match – Loser of Match E vs. Loser of Match F
10:00 am – 5th place match – Winner of Match E vs. Winner of Match F
10:00 am – 3rd place match – Loser of Match G vs. Loser of Match H
1:00 pm – Championship Match
Emory heads into the UAA Championships on a roll with wins in its last 18 matches. The Eagles have swept their last seven foes and have captured their last 24 straight sets. The team's victory total represents the ninth straight and 18th campaign in school in history of 30 or more wins.
The Eagles are coming off an impressive 4-0 record at the Emory Invitational last weekend, opening with a 3-0 verdict over Bridgewater followed by a 3-0 decision then No. 1-ranked Juniata, the program's third win against a top-ranked team this season. On Saturday, Emory closed out the Invitational with a 3-0 triumph over Millsaps followed by a similar score against No. 17 Clarkson University.
At the start of the week, the Eagles post a league-leading attack percentage of .301, good for the No. 2 slot nationally. Emory has hit .300 or better in 16 contests this season, and has enjoyed an edge in that category in 30 matches (72 of the last 75) with the only opponents to outhit Emory this year being Calvin College (Sept. 19) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Sept. 19). Leading the nation in that category is junior middle Jessica Holler with a .432 effort (204-35—391). The 6-foot-1 middle has produced 12 matches of a .400 or higher hitting percentage while banging out double-figure kills in eight of her 25 contests. The Eagles have four of the league's top eight performers in attack percentage with junior Shannon Nugent (.400) holding down the No. 3 position while classmates Kathryn Trinka (.308) and Sarah Maher (.279) stand seventh and eighth, respectively. Trinka ranks as the squad's leader with a 3.83 kills-per-set average, good for the No. 2 spot on the UAA ladder, and enters the UAA Championships with a team-leading
27 outings of double-figure terminations. In addition to Trinka, Maher finds herself among the top 10 with her 2.83 per-set average is ninth. A big reason for the efficiency of the Emory attack has been the stellar play of senior setter Sydney Miles, whose 11.63 assists-per-set average is second in the conference and third nationally. Miles has dished out 50 or more assists on four occasions this year and heads into the weekend in the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time ladder with 5,582 assists.
Defensively, Emory is No. 2 on the conference list in opponent hitting percentage (.121) and has held 15 opponents to an attack percentage of less than .100. Freshman Becky Breuer tops the squad and is fourth on the UAA ladder with a 4.51 digs-per-set average.
Emory has won four of the last six and six UAA titles over the last 10 years. The Eagles notched their first title in 2005 and then brought home their second crown in 2007. In 2009, Emory topped Washington University in the title match, and defended the crown in 2010 with a 3-1 decision over the No. 1-ranked Bears' squad. In 2012, Emory topped then No. 1-ranked Wash U, 3-1, in the title clash. After finishing runner-up to Chicago in 2013, the Eagles brought the title back to Atlanta last year, defeating Chicago, 3-1, in the finals.
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
Emory Invitational (Oct. 30-31)
Sydney Miles – MVP
Jessica Holler
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
Kathryn Trinka (Offense) – November 2
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – November 2
Sports Imports/AVCA D-III National Player of the Week
Sydney Miles – November 3