From Emory University Athletics
The Emory volleyball program got a double dose of good news on Tuesday when it was announced that senior setter Sydney Miles had been selected as the Sports Imports/AVCA D-III National Player of the Week following her stellar performance at the Emory Invitational. Later on, the Eagles found out that they had moved into the No. 1 spot in this week's AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
The 6-foot-1 Miles guided Emory to a 4-0 record at the Invitational, with two of those victories coming over No. 1-ranked Juniata and No. 17 Clarkson University. She played in all 12 of the team's set and averaged 11.25 assists and 1.75 digs per game in helping the team raise its overall record to 30-2.
After dishing out 36 assists and contributing five digs in a 3-0 decision over Bridgewater College, Miles came through with a 31-assists, four-digs outing in a 3-0 triumph Juniata, the team's third win over a No. 1-ranked program this year. On the final day of the Invitational, she totaled 36 assists, five kills, five digs and two block assists vs. Millsaps (3-0 win), before closing out the weekend with 32 assists and seven digs in a 3-0 victory over No. 17-ranked Clarkson. Her setting aided Emory in recording a .363 hitting mark over the weekend.
In NCAA statistics released earlier this week, Miles stands No. 3 nationally in assists (11.63 aps), with her setting prowess playing a key role in the Eagles hitting .301 on the year, good for second among all D-III programs.
Career-wise, she holds down the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time ladder with 5,582 assists and 11th with 1,002 digs.
Sydney's selection represents the eighth time that an Emory player has earned the Sports Imports/AVCA Division III National Player of the Week Award. She joins Liana Roman (Oct. 14, 1996), Jennifer Naeger (Oct. 26, 1998), Lulu Sewell (Sept. 9, 2002), Courtney Rose (Oct. 25, 2004), Alysse Meyer (Sept. 9, 2008), Amelia McCall (Oct. 26, 2010) and Breanah Bourque (Oct. 24, 2012) as Emory performers who have been tabbed for the honor.
Emory received 62 of the 63 first-place votes cast en route to 1,574 points. Juniata is second with 1,471 points while UAA rival Washington University is third (1,454 pts.). Earlier in the year, the Eagles held down the No. 1 spot in the Sept. 8th and 15th national rankings.
Head coach Jenny McDowell and the Eagles, 30-2 overall (7-0 UAA), return to action this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 6-7) when they travel to Rochester, NY, to compete in the UAA Championships.