Emory Volleyball Eyes Washington & Lee Tournament

TOURNAMENT FACTS - The No. 1-ranked Emory volleyball team takes to the road for the first time this season when it takes part in the Washington & Lee Tournament.  Emory will face Christopher Newport on Friday (Sept. 11) at 2:30 p.m., before closing out the first day of action with a 7:00 p.m. contest vs. Southern Virginia.  On Saturday, the Eagles open with a 3:30 p.m. match vs. Juniata before closing out the weekend with a 6:00 affair against host Washington & Lee.

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 411-116.  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.

Christopher Newport is led by Lindsay Burch (Christopher Newport, 2002) who is in her eighth year at the helm of the Captains' program.  During her tenure at CNU, she has compiled a school and career record of 205-66 that includes five seasons of 30 or more wins and five trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Southern Virginia is guided by head coach Brian Pendleton.

Bryan Snyder (Washington & Lee, '95) is in his 10th year of calling the shots at Washington & Lee.  Named as the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Coach of the Year six of the past seven years, Snyder has manufactured an impressive record of 266-61.  In addition, he has directed the Generals to eight straight NCAA Tournament berths.

The Eagles of Juniata are coached by Larry Bock (Penn State, '71) who is in his 33^rd campaign.  A five-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Bock has recorded a school and career ledger of 1186-182 heading into a Sept. 9 match vs. St. Vincent College, with his wins total the most of NCAA women's volleyball coach.  Bock has directed Juniata to Division III national titles in 2004 and 2006.

RECORDS - Emory heads into the weekend with a 5-0 mark after rattling off four wins at the Emory Classic last weekend.  The Eagles notched 3-0 victories over Maryville University, UW-Platteville, King College and SUNY-New Paltz.  Emory holds down the No. 1 position in this week's AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll.

Christopher Newport will meet Emory with a 4-1 slate.  The Captains won three of four matches at the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament last weekend. 

Southern Virginia stands 5-5 heading this upcoming weekend and is coming off a 3-2 victory over Concord this past Tuesday.

Washington & Lee will be opening its season this weekend.  The Generals enjoyed a fine 2008 campaign that saw them fashion an overall record of 31-7.

Juniata, ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Coaches Poll, took a 4-0 mark into its Wednesday night meeting with St. Vincent.

SERIES RECORDS - Emory holds an 8-0 edge in the all-time series with Christopher Newport.  The programs met last year at the CNU Tournament with the Eagles prevailing by a 3-2 margin.

Emory won the initial meeting with Southern Virginia last season by a 3-1 count.

Emory has captured 16 of 17 outcomes against Washington & Lee.  The Eagles hosted W&L last year and posted a 3-0 decision over the Generals.

Juniata stands 8-2 all-time against Emory.  The two teams split a pair of meetings last year with Juniata claiming a 3-0 win at the Leopard Invitational (hosted by La Verne) before Emory bounced back to register a 3-0 verdict at the Woodruff PE Center.

EAGLES EARN ALL-CLASSIC HONORS  - Sophomore Natalie Schonefeld  was named the MVP of the Emory Classic after doling out 139 assists over 12 sets.  Also claiming all-tournament honors were sophomores Jessica McAlvany and Brannan O'Neill.

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 239-44, good for an 84.4 winning percentage.  Since the 2004 campaign, Coach McDowell has seen her club fashion a classy 79-12 slate (.868).  Last season, Emory finished with a mark of 11-1 in home matches.

NUMBERS TO WATCH - McAlvany has double-figure kills in all five matches and leads the squad with  a 3.80 kills per set average ... Senior Alysse Meyer stands second on the club in kills (3.10 k/s) while posting a team-high 53.6 hitting percentage ... Meyer moved into sixth place on the school's all-time list in kills last weekend and now has 1,320 terminations to her credit ...  Junior Amelia McCall blasted away for 16 kills in the UW-Platteville match, her second-highest total as an Emory player.

EAGLES TRIO TO SERVE AS CAPTAINS - Serving as captains for the 2009 Eagles are senior Vista Murphy (Laguna Beach, CA), Natalie Schonefeld and junior Amelia McCall (Montgomery, AL).