The Emory University volleyball team had five members selected to the All-University Athletic Association Team on Friday with four earning spots on the second team and one honorable mention selection.
Sophomore Deborah Hong earned her second consecutive appearance on the All-UAA Second Team while sophomore Madison Cail was recognized with All-UAA recognition for the second straight year as she landed honorable mention recognition. The Eagles had three first-time selections as junior Carly Wallace, junior Amanda Meyer and sophomore Alana Dawson each earned a spot on the All-UAA Second Team.
Hong was a stellar back row player for the Eagles all season long as she finished second on the team in total digs (304) and total service aces (29). Hong's showed out in UAA play as she finished second in the conference in digs per set with 4.89 per set. One of Hong's best matches of the season came early in the season against West Georgia (Sep. 6) in which she had 30 digs, which marked the season best for the team, as well as a personal best seven assists in the Eagles win. Competing in the UAA Tournament, Hong showed out with three service aces in both the semi-final and finals match.
Wallace was instrumental in Emory's success this season as she paced the Eagles in kills with 284 which was nearly 70 more than the next closest team member. More than just an offensive talent, Wallace also finished third on the team in total service aces with 28 to just four service errors while also registering the third most digs on the team with 242. In UAA play, Wallace finished fifth in conference matches with 76 kills while also finishing seventh in service aces with 10. Wallace had a coming out party against No. 8 ranked Berry at the Emory Invitational where she recorded a team season-high 20 kills to help give the Eagles a four-set victory while also earning Wallace Tournament MVP honors. Wallace stood out as the most influential player in the Eagles UAA Tournament championship as she registered a team-high 19 kills in the semi-final against No. 6 ranked NYU and 14 kills in the championship match against No. 11 WashU.
Meyer spent her season patrolling the net as she amassed a team-high 81 blocks including 19 in UAA play which was tied for the fifth most in the conference. On top of her blocking prowess, Meyer was also an exceptional attacker as she finished second on the team with 218 kills on the second best attacking percentage on the team (.304). Meyer was the lone Eagle to play in each of Emory's 27 matches this season. Meyer had a couple of standout performances across the season including a 13 kill, her career high, and three block match in a straight set win over Covenant. At the Emory Invitational, Meyer recorded eight blocks in their match against Birmingham-Southern, tied for the seventh most in program history, while also contributing 11 kills on a .421 hitting percentage. Meyer came up big for the Eagles in the UAA Tournament contributing seven kills across three matches as well as 11 kills in the championship match against WashU. She finished her season with All-Tournament honors at the NCAA Regional.
Despite missing a sizable chunk of the latter portion of the regular season, Dawson was excellent for the Eagles in the matches she did play finishing with 183 kills with 2.90 kills per set, the second best mark on the team. With marks of 71 kills and 2.96 kills per set in conference play, Dawson finished sixth and seventh in the conference in each of those statistics, respectively. Dawson notched her career high in kills in the Eagles four-set victory over No. 2 ranked Trinity (Sep. 9) as she blasted 18 terminations on a .361 hitting percentage. Later in the same tournament, Dawson put down 17 kills on a .394 hitting percentage against No. 1 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in a tight four set loss. In conference play, Dawson had her standout match in a five set loss to Carnegie Mellon in which she poured in a team-high 16 kills as well as three blocks.
Cail, who landed on the All-UAA Second Team last season, earned a spot on the All-UAA team despite playing in just 17 matches across the entire season for the Eagles. Cail led Emory in hitting percentage for the year, recording a .314 hitting percentage on the season, while her 0.91 blocks per set also paced the team. Cail tallied eight kills in each of the three regular season UAA matches she participated in while averaging 2.7 blocks per match including a massive five in the Eagles five set loss to No. 8 ranked NYU.
The Eagles concluded the season with a 22-7 overall record, capturing the program's tenth UAA title in team history and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.