Emory Volleyball Opens 2009 Season
The Emory volleyball team, defending Division III national
champions, opens the program's 23rd season of
intercollegiate competition on Tuesday (Sept. 1), when the Eagles
host the University of West Georgia. The match is slated for
a 7:00 p.m. start
THE COACHES - Emory Head Coach Jenny
McDowell (Georgia, '89) is in her 14th year at the helm of
the Eagles' program. During her stint at Emory, McDowell has
posted a school and career won-lost ledger of 406-116. She
has 11 campaigns of 30 or more wins and has directed the program to
14 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. She guided Emory
to its first-ever national title in 2008 and was named as the AVCA
National Coach of the Year.
West Georgia is led by second-year head coach Gary
Lee (Maryland). Prior to his appointment at West
Georgia, Lee was the head coach at Millersville (Pa.) University
for six years.
RECORDS - Emory is coming off a 35-6 record in
2008, establishing a school record for most victories in a
season. The Eagles welcome back a total of 11 letterwinners,
including four starters, from last year's national championship
squad.
The Wolves of West Georgia, a NCAA Division II member that competes
in the Gulf South Conference, opened its season this past weekend
when it hosted the West Georgia Classic. The Wolves came away with
wins in three of four matches, defeating Stillman College, Barton
College and Albany State all by 3-0 scores. In the final
match, West Georgia fell to Rollins College, 3-1.
SERIES RECORDS - Emory holds a 9-4 edge in the
all-time series with West Georgia. The two teams met last
year at the Comfort Inn Challenge in Birmingham, Ala., and Emory
came away with a 3-0 victory in the match.
EMORY NO. 1 IN AVCA PRESEASON POLL - Emory
was tabbed as the No. 1 squad among Division III programs in the
recently released American Volleyball Coaches Association Division
III Top 25 Preseason Poll. Emory totaled 595 points and
received 20 of 24 first-place votes. It marked the first time in
program history that is had been tabbed No. 1 in the preseason
since the poll made its debut in 2000.
EAGLES WELCOME BACK ALL-AMERICANS - Emory welcomes
back a pair of 2008 All-Americans to its roster in senior outside
hitter Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) and sophomore
setter Natalie Schonefeld (Riveria, TX).
Meyer landed first-team honors after pounding out a team-high 491
kills, fourth on the school's seasonal ladder, while posting a
team-best 3.36 kills per set average. Heading into the 2009
season, Meyer is seventh on Emory's all-time chart with 1,289 kills
and has produced a total of 74 double-figure matches.
Schonefeld garnered second-team recognition after stepping into the
starting role early in the season following an injury to Madison
Robelen. The 5-foot-8 Schonefeld led the University Athletic
Association and tied for ninth nationally in assists (10.6 aps),
and her total of 1,421 assists ranked third on Emory's seasonal
chart while her assists per-game effort was eighth. Schonefeld was
also tabbed as the South Region Freshman of the Year.
EAGLES TRIO TO SERVE AS CAPTAINS - Serving as
captains for the 2009 Eagles will be senior Vista Murphy (Laguna
Beach, CA), Natalie Schonefeld and junior Amelia McCall
(Montgomery, AL).
EMORY TOUGH AT THE WOODPEC - Emory has proved to
be a tough opponent on its home court at the Woodruff PE
Center. Since 1992, the Eagles have compiled an overall
record of 234-44, good for an 84.2 winning percentage. Since
the 2004 campaign, Coach McDowell has seen her club fashion a
classy 74-12 slate (.860). Last season, Emory finished with a
mark of 11-1 in home matches.
NUMBERS TO WATCH - Heading into the West Georgia
match, Alysse Meyer is 16 kills from moving past Monica
Robbins (2001-04) and into sixth place on the school's all-time
list in that category ... In addition, Meyer is 11 attack attempts
from moving into sixth place on the Eagles' career chart ...
Sophomore Brannan O'Neill (Houston, TX) needs 12
digs to edge ahead of Janet Bunning (2004-07) and into
17th place on Emory's career ledger.
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