UAA Round Robin II Information
The Emory volleyball team returns to action this Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 14-15) when it travels to Chicago to compete in the University Athletic Association Round Robin II. The Eagles will battle four opponents with this weekend's action finalizing the seeding for the conference championships, Nov. 3-4, on the Emory campus.
Emory's UAA Round Robin II match schedule is as follows:
Saturday, October 14
12:30 pm (CDT) – vs. Washington University
2:30 pm – (CDT) – vs. Case Western Reserve
Sunday, October 15
10:00 am (CDT) – vs. NYU
2:00 pm (CDT) – vs. Carnegie Mellon
Emory started out this week as the No. 4-ranked D-III program in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll.
THE COACHES – Emory head coach Jenny McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 22nd year at the helm of the Eagles' program with a school and career mark of 702-156. She has 18 campaigns of 30 or more wins, and has directed the program to 21 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. She notched her 700th career win on Oct. 5 following a 3-0 decision over Oglethorpe.
Vanessa Walby (UW-Whitewater, '02) is in her fourth season at the helm of the Washington University program. Heading into the weekend, Walby has guided the Bears to a 110-26 won-lost mark. Last year, she directed WU to a runner-up finish in the NCAA D-III Championships. In 10 seasons as a head coach, which includes a six-year run at Chicago (2008-2013), Walby owns a career record of 273-97.
Now in her second stint as head coach at Case Western, Karen Farrell (Brandeis, '93) has patrolled the Spartans' sideline for a total of 16 campaigns, compiling a school record of 321-223. Farrell has 22 years of head coaching experience to her credit and posts a career ledger of 398-328.
Jolie Ward (Stony Brook, '97) is in her seventh season in calling the shots for the NYU program. As the UAA Round Robin II approaches, Ward has chalked up a school record of 128-108. The owner of 20 seasons of head coaching experience, Ward posts a career effort of 353-301.
Carnegie Mellon is led by 13th-year head coach Kim Kelly (Gettysburg, '92). During her time with the Tartans, Kelly has amassed a won-lost performance of 267-172. Now in her 22nd season as a head coach, Kelly begins the weekend with a career mark of 517-254.
2017 RECORDS – Emory sports a 17-3 record, 2-1 in the UAA. The Eagles saw a three-match win streak come to an end on Tuesday (Oct. 10) when they were swept at Berry College.
Ranked No. 20 in this week's AVCA Poll, Wash U will square off against Emory with an overall slate of 14-6, 2-1 in the league. The Bears hosted and won all four games of the Active Ankle Invite last weekend.
The Spartans of Case Western will take a 13-7 overall record (2-1 UAA) into its RR II opener against Brandeis. CWRU last played at the league's Round Robin I back on Sept. 30-Oct. 1.
NYU heads into this weekend's action with an overall record of 4-16, 0-3 in the conference. The Violets are coming off a 3-0 setback to Hunter College last Saturday.
Carnegie Mellon holds down the No. 10 spot in the AVCA Poll with an outstanding overall mark of 18-1 (2-1 UAA). The Tartans will be back in action for the first time since the UAA Round Robin I.
LEIMBACH A TWO-WAY THREAT – Junior Sydney Leimbach's team-high 12 kills in the Berry match represented her sixth double-figure effort of the season, and marked the fourth time this year that she paced the team in that department.
Heading into the UAA Round Robin II, the 6-foot-2 middle is hitting .338 (165-47—349), good for second place among UAA players and 33rd among all D-III players. In addition, she is averaging 2.66 kills per set which slots her in the No. 10 position on the UAA chart. On the defensive side of the net, she is averaging a team-best 0.97 blocks per game, the second-best mark in the league. She has produced nine contests with four or more total blocks.
EMORY DEFENSE TOUGH TO CRACK -- When Emory held Maryville College to a -.131 hitting percentage last Friday, it was the 10th time this year the Eagles had held the opposition to less than .100 and the second to a minus finish.
Emory has enjoyed an edge in hitting percentage on 16 occasions this year and has seen the opposition hit just .122, the third-best showing in the UAA.
McKNIGHT LEADS TEAM IN KILLS – Sophomore Morgan McKnight continues to pace the team in kills, averaging 3.13 terminations per set, good for fifth place on the UAA chart. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter has totaled a team-high 11 contests with double-figure kills and been club's leader in that category in nine matches.
THOMPSON DIGS & ACES IT – Sophomore Elyse Thompson's team-high 5.11 digs per set currently ranks as the program's all-time No. 1 seasonal mark and places her second in the UAA and 76th in the D-III ranks. The 5-foot-7 libero has 15 matches of double-figure digs including five contests with 20 or more.
Thompson is one of the Eagles' top threats when it comes to serving with her 36 service aces a team high while her 0.58 aces-per-set average leads all UAA players. She doled out seven aces in last Thursday's Oglethorpe match, the high-water mark by an Emory player this season and the second most by a league performer to date.