National Championship: 2008

Jennifer McDowell has elevated the Emory University volleyball program to national prominence, culminating with the Eagles' claiming their first-ever NCAA Championship when they brought the 2008 crown back to Atlanta.

McDowell, who assumed control of the program in the spring of 1996, has guided Emory to 15 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, advancing to the "Sweet 16" round 12 times. In addition, she has directed the team to three berths in the NCAA Final Four, the first coming in 2003 when the Eagles posted a fourth-place finish in the tournament, the second in 2008 when the squad took home the national title and most recently in 2010 when it advanced to the national championship match.

Her 15-year Emory record now stands at 476-123.  In 2010, McDowell and the Eagles established  a school record for most wins when it compiled an overall record of 36-5.  The Eagles finished the regular season ranked No. 1 nationally among Division III squads and held down the No. 2 spot in the final poll.  The team's win total from 2010 bettered the previous standard of 35 set by the 2008 squad.

She rang up her 400th career win on Nov. 7, 2008, when the Eagles topped Brandeis at the UAA Championships.  The Eagles concluded the 2008 campaign ranked No. 1 among D-III programs.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognized McDowell's efforts during the 2008 campaign, tabbing her as the National Division III Coach of the Year. She was also honored by the AVCA as the Regional Coach of the Year for the third time (2004 and 2005 were the other seasons).

Heading into the 2011 season, her 79.4 winning percentage ranks fourth all-time among Division III coaches.

Every year since 1997, Emory has ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation in every weekly poll conducted by the AVCA.  In 2009, Emory ended the regular season in a deadlock for the No. 2 spot in the national poll while holding down the No. 5 position in the organization's final ranking.

Before McDowell's arrival the volleyball team had 30 wins or more in only one season. In her 15 years, the team has bested 30 wins 12 times including eight of the past nine seasons. The 2009 team fashioned an overall ledger of 34-6 with the victory total then the second highest in program history.

McDowell's players have flourished under her tutelage. She has mentored 18 different players to a total of 29 All-America berths while coaching five players to UAA Player of the Year accolades, the most recent being Amelia McCall in 2010, and five to UAA Rookie of the Year acclaim. In addition, she has seen her players rack up a total of 91 All-UAA honors.  In addition, she has seen two of her players, Amelia McCall in 2010 and Courtney Rose in 2005, earn Division III National Player of the Year honors.

The Eagles have finished first or second in the University Athletic Association championship in 12 of her 15 campaigns.   In 2010, Emory registered its second straight and fourth conference crown, defeating then No. 1-ranked Washington University, 3-1, in the title match. 

In 2009, the Eagles nailed down the school's third league title, defeating Washington University, 3-0.

In 2007, Emory brought home its second conference championship, defeating Washington University in a five-game thriller.

In 2005 Emory captured its first conference championship with a 3-0 sweep of then No. 1-ranked Washington University in the title match. McDowell and her assistants have been recognized as the conference "Coaching Staff of the Year" in 1996, 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

Prior to Emory, McDowell was an assistant coach at the University of Georgia for five years in which the Bulldogs compiled a 128-41 record and made the NCAA Division I national tournament every year. With primary responsibilities in recruiting, McDowell helped bring in one NCAA All-American, two NCAA postgraduate scholars, two GTE Academic All-Americans, one GTE Academic All-American of the Year, two Southeastern Conference (SEC) postgraduate scholars and 10 all-SEC Scholar-Athletes.

A three-time all-region selection and three-time team captain in volleyball, McDowell received her undergraduate degree from Georgia in 1989 and her master's in 1990. In 1985, she was selected to compete in the U.S. Olympic Festival. McDowell is the first and only Georgia volleyball player to have her number (16) retired.

McDowell was the interim head coach at Georgia from January to May 1989. She also has been a head coach with the Athens Junior Volleyball Club for three years.

Coach McDowell Year-by-Year Record

Justin Hart was named Associate Coach of the Emory volleyball program in July of 2011 after serving as an assistant beginning in March of 2008.  He originally joined the Eagles program in the summer of 2007 as a volunteer assistant.   His previous volleyball experience includes time coaching for the JJVA club in Jacksonville, Florida and the Georgia Juniors club in Athens, Georgia. While in Athens, Justin also coached for Athens Academy and the Women's club team at the University of Georgia.

Justin played men's club volleyball at Northland in Dunbar, Wisconsin where he graduated in 1997 with a degree in Education. He attained an MA in English in 1999 from Bob Jones University and a JD from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2006.

He is married to Courtney Shealy Hart.

Amanda Welter, a former all-Big 10 volleyball player, joined the Emory staff in Fall 2001.

Welter was a three-year volleyball starter at Division I Indiana University where she was voted to the Big 10 all-conference team her senior year (2000). She graduated in ninth place on the school's all-time list for career kills, second in career hitting percentage, second in career total blocks, third in career assisted blocks and fourth in career solo blocks.

Welter helped the Hoosiers to consecutive appearances in the NCAA national tournament, a first in school history. She was a team captain her senior year.

She graduated from Indiana in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management.

Amanda is a native of Cincinnati. As a high school senior, she was named to the state's Fab 50 list for volleyball players.