Oct. 30, 2008

By Amy Farnum Novin
NCAA.com

The Emory University women’s volleyball program is annually one of the best in the nation, and this year’s team is no different with a perfect mix of senior leadership and talented newcomers.

The Eagles entered the season with four seniors – three of them starters -- returning from a 2007 squad that posted a 33-7 record, won the University Athletic Association championship, and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

This year’s team was expecting to lean on senior setter Madison Robelen, a second-team All-American, to help extend the Eagles’ run of 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, but an ACL tear in the second week of the season sidelined her, and left head coach Jenny McDowell to regroup.

McDowell inserted setter Natalie Schonefeld of Louisville, Ky., into the lineup, and the transition has been practically seamless for the Eagles, who are currently ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Division III Top 25 with a 25-4 record.

“We had a freshman on the bench, who all of sudden had to jump into that role, and has just been unbelievable,” said McDowell.  “She was our No. 1 recruit to begin with, but stepped in and is running this team like a senior.”

Schonefeld is averaging 10.55 assists per game this year, and has sparked the Eagles to a flawless 9-0 mark against UAA opponents.

Senior outside hitter Dani Huffman and senior middle hitter Maggie Baird have also raised their game to another level.  Huffman paces the squad with 0.94 blocks per set and a .367 hitting percentage, while Baird is contributing 2.07 kills and 0.58 blocks per game.

“These four seniors (Baird, Huffman, Robelen and Lulu Kaiali) have changed the culture of our team – from work ethic to discipline,” said McDowell.  “Our strength coach tells us that without a doubt they are the hardest working team compared to any other team in our program.”

Freshman libero Brannan O'Neill tops the team with 3.71 digs per game, while junior middle hitter Alysse Meyer has followed up a strong 2007 campaign by leading the squad with 3.66 kills per set. 

“We were lucky that we had such a talented freshman class, so it was just a matter of working them into the way we play volleyball, which actually was not too difficult,” said Huffman.  “They really got it from day one.  They knew to work hard, first and foremost.  I think instilling confidence in them was a big key.”

Riding a five-match winning streak following a loss to top-ranked Juniata on Oct. 11, the Eagles will face one their toughest tests of the season when they host the Emory National Challenge on Oct. 31-Nov. 1.  Emory will meet Juniata for the second time this year, as well as Birmingham Southern and Lee University – two other programs that handed the Eagles losses this season.

“I know for the regionals and the national championship weekend, you have to play three consecutive, extremely tough matches,” said McDowell.  “What I tried to do on this weekend is simulate that.  I never thought it would be the three teams that we have lost to.”

McDowell believes that the previous meeting with Juniata has enabled her squad to become a better team in recent weeks.

“When we played Juniata three weeks ago, it showed us what level we have to play at to be the best,” said McDowell.  “That showed us that we needed to make some changes to beat a team like that.  We had to made changes defensively, offensively and in blocking if we want to beat such a great team like that.”

“This weekend is definitely going to prepare us for conference championships and the NCAA Tournament,” said Huffman.  “It’s going to give us a really good road marker for what we need to work on over the next three weeks.”

While Huffman feels a sense of urgency to be successful as she concludes her career, McDowell is savoring the team’s limited time together remaining this season.

“There are four weeks left and I don’t want to see it end,” said McDowell.  “There’s one team that wins it (the national championship), and that’s one of our goals, but we talk about the journey everyday and enjoying it. We cherish every single day together.”

Emory will face No. 1 Juniata on Oct. 31 at 7:00 p.m. at the Woodruff PE Center.  The following day, the Eagles will host Birmingham Southern at noon and Lee University at 3:30 p.m.  It is the last weekend of the regular season action for Emory before the UAA Championship.