From Emory University Athletics
The Emory University volleyball team will be one of 64 programs competing for the 2015 NCAA D-III Championship. The Eagles are part of an eight-team Mount Berry, Georgia, Regional with Berry College serving as the host institution. All matches will be played at the Cage Center on the Berry campus. Emory will enter the Regional as the No. 1 seed.
Action begins on Thursday (Nov. 12) with four first-round matches with the second rounds being played on Friday. The regional championship will be played on Saturday (Nov. 14), with the winner advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinal round of the championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The schedule for the Mount Berry Regional is as follows with times listed as Eastern Standard.
THURSDAY, NOV. 12
Match 1 -- 12:30 pm – #4 Birmingham Southern vs. #5 University of Chicago
Match 2 – 3:00 pm -- #1 Emory vs. Greenville College (IL)
Match 3 -- 5:30 pm – #2 Hendrix College vs. #7 Covenant College
Match 4 -- 8:00 pm – # 3 Berry College vs. # 6 Thomas More
FRIDAY, NOV. 13
Match 5 – 4:30 pm – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Match 6 – 7:00 pm – Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
7:00 pm – Championship Match
TICKET INFO FOR THE MOUNT BERRY REGIONAL
** Single-game tickets are $6 for adults. Senior Citizens and students with identification are $4. Children under 12 are $3, and children under two are free.
** All-Session tickets can be purchased at the following prices: Adults $12; Senior citizens and students with ID are $10; Children under 12 are $7 and those under two are free.
The Eagles of head coach Jenny McDowell earned an at-large berth to this year's NCAA Tournament, the 20th straight season (program's 21st overall) that the program will be playing in the postseason. Emory, 32-3 this season, is coming off a runner-up finish at this past weekend's University Athletic Association Championships, defeating Brandeis and Chicago by 3-0 scores in its first two contests before coming out on the short end of a 3-2 decision Washington University in the title match. The setback to the Bears ended the Eagles' 20-match win streak.
McDowell checks into the NCAA Tournament with a school and career record of 650-146. She has led the program to five appearances in the national semifinals, and has a national championship to her credit in 2008 and national runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014. She has registered a 40-19 ledger in NCAA Tournament action (Emory's all-time mark in the NCAA Tournament is 40-20).
Emory's opening-round NCAA opponent will be No. 8 seed Greenville College (24-7), who captured an automatic berth after winning the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. The Lady Panthers, coached by Tom Ackerman, will be making their first appearance in the NCAA postseason since 2010. Thursday's match-up will represent the first time that the two schools have met on the volleyball court.
A member of the Southern Athletic Association, Birmingham Southern (24-5) enters the Regional as the No. 4 seed after landing an at-large bid to the postseason following a runner-up effort to Hendrix College in the SAA Tournament final. The Panthers, led by second-year head coach Jeff White, are making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Emory has won the last six and stands 8-4 all-time vs. Birmingham Southern with one of those victories a 3-0 decision in the Eagles' opening match of the year (Sept. 1).
Chicago (20-12), ranked 22nd in the Nov. 3 AVCA Top 25 Poll, earned an at-large bid to the Tournament, its sixth straight postseason trip. The Maroons won their first match at the UAA Championships, defeating Carnegie Mellon, 3-2, in the quarterfinals before dropping a 3-0 outcome to Emory. Chicago fell to Case Western Reserve, 3-1, in the third-place match. Second-year head coach Sharon Dingman has a school record of 46-25, while showing a 448-361 career slate over 25 years. Emory stands 36-13 all-time against Chicago, 2-0 in 2015.
Led by eighth-year head coach Mika Robinson (168-87), Berry College enters the Regional with a record of 24-7. A member of the Southern Athletic Association, the Vikings earned an at-large bid to the postseason after advancing to the semifinals of the SAA Tournament this past weekend. Emory has won all 13 meetings between the two schools including a 3-1 verdict earlier this year (Sept. 15) at Berry College
No. 6 seed Thomas More checks in with an overall mark of 26-4 and advanced to postseason play via automatic bid after bringing home its fourth straight and seventh overall Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament Championship over the weekend, defeating Bethany College, 3-0, in the final. The Saints will be making their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance. Guiding the TMC program is 10th-year head coach John Spinney, who has recorded a school record of 247-92. Emory enjoys a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series with Thomas More. The Eagles and Saints met earlier this year (Sept. 4) at the Calvin College Labor Day Invitational with Emory prevailing by a 3-0 count.
Hendrix College will enter the Regional as the No. 2 seed after winning its second straight SAA Tournament championship, with its 3-1 triumph over Birmingham Southern boosting its season record to 25-8. The Warriors are led by fifth-year head coach Ryan Meek, who sports a school and career record of 106-63. If Emory and Hendrix meet, it will represent the first volleyball contest between the programs.
Covenant College, the No. 7 seed, will tangle with Hendrix the owners of a 19-12 record. The Lady Scots played their way into the postseason after winning the USA South Conference Tournament, toppling two-time champ Maryville, 3-1, in the clash for the crown. Third-year head coach Joanna Ehman has amassed a school and career record of 67-33 and is one win shy of posting her third straight campaign of 20 victories. Emory holds a 9-3 margin in the all-time series including a 3-0 win earlier this season (Sept. 11) in Atlanta.
EMORY AND THE NCAA FIELD – Emory played a total of 17 regular-season matches against 14 teams that advanced to this year's NCAA Tournament Championship. The Eagles enjoyed a fair amount of success against this year's field, racking up a 14-3 won-lost mark. The following lists how Emory has done this year vs. teams that made the NCAA Tourney.
Juniata: 1-0
Case Western Reserve: 1-0
Clarkson: 1-0
Birmingham Southern: 1-0
Chicago: 2-0
Berry: 1-0
Thomas More: 1-0
Covenant College: 1-0
Calvin: 1-1
Christopher Newport: 1-0
Randolph-Macon: 1-0
Washington Univ: 1-1
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps: 0-1
Cal Lutheran: 1-0
MILES ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING PROGRAM'S ALL-TIME ASSISTS LEADER – Setter Sydney Miles totaled 117 assists over the team's three UAA Championship contests over the weekend, and in the process inched close to claiming the No. 1 spot on the program's all-time ladder.
Miles will start the Mount Berry Regional with 5,699 careers assists, just 33 shy of tying Natalie Schonefeld's (2008-11) mark of 5,732. She is No. 2 in the UAA and third nationally with an average of 11.54 assists per set. Her 1,315 assists rank 12th on the school's seasonal ladder and she has dished out 50 or more assists on four occasions this season.
EAGLES RACKING UP THE HONORS -- The following is a list of various honors that Emory players have received this season
Calvin College Labor Day Weekend Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 4-5)
Sydney Miles
Sarah Maher
Emory Classic All-Tournament Team (Sept. 11-12)
Sydney Miles (MVP)
Kathryn Trinka
Shannon Nugent
Emory National Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 18-19)
Sydney Miles
Emory Invitational (Oct. 30-31)
Sydney Miles – MVP
Jessica Holler
UAA Player of the Week
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – Sept. 8
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – Sept. 21
Jessica Holler (Offense) – Sept. 21
Kathryn Trinka (Offense) – Sept. 28
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – Sept. 28
Sarah Maher (Offense) – October 5
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – October 19
Kathryn Trinka (Offense) – November 2
Sydney Miles (Setter/Defense) – November 2
Sports Imports/AVCA D-III National Player of the Week
Sydney Miles – November 3