Toni Jones

Past Entries

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November 16, 2004

During our short practice Thursday afternoon, the morbid thought of that being our last practice of the season inevitably crossed through some of our minds, but we put forth the work ethic and positive attitudes that characterize Emory volleyball. We had been working hard all season to get back to the Final Four, and nothing was going to get us down.

After receiving an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III tournament, the lovely ladies of EU's volleyball squad enthusiastically endured a week of awkward practices. In effort to accommodate the practicing needs of the teams traveling to our gym, as we were fortunate enough to host the South Region championship, each day there was a different court setup or special rules and regulations governing the conduction of our practice. But at the end of Thursday's practice, we were prepared to begin the quest to win another region title.

With a reasonable curfew in place Thursday night, we were sure to be well rested for Friday night's action. Angela Duprey, the fantastic master of event management and marketing (WE LOVE YOU, ANGIE!!), had been hard at work trying to get the word out about our semi-finals match, so lots of people on campus were excited about us. Still, I doubt anyone came close to being as excited as we were about playing in our first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament.

When most of the team walked into the gym late Friday afternoon, no one expected the team ranked number one in our region to be down two games with a huge score disadvantage in the third game. Many of our mouths dropped open in disbelief. We were already fired up, but this development put an interesting and unexpected spin on the remainder of the tournament.

Jenny and the rest of the coaching staff reminded us to stay focused for the match ahead of us, making sure we did not overlook Friday night's competition in anticipation of Saturday night's match.

We defeated our semi-final match opponent in four games to advance to the South Region championship on Saturday night. But in celebration of our semi-final victory, the Emory volleyball ladies went to dinner with various teammates and their families. Our program seems like one collective family. It feels really good to know when your biological family can't attend a tournament, there is still have a cast of teammates' families to show you they care.

Saturday afternoon, the volleyball program rallied at a local wrap eatery for lunch. Spirits were high and everyone seemed to be enjoyed each other's company. Anticipation for the evening match was subtly building amongst us.

When we gathered in the Woodruff PE Center with the mission to claim another region title, the team was fired up. There was so much energy flowing and it was clear that the time had come. Following a three-game match, we were crowned South Region champions for the 2004 volleyball season.

Emory Volleyball…Elite Eight…WHAT'S NEXT!?!

Toni Jones is a sophomore from Spanish Fort, Ala. She would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.