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(August 3) The Emory University women's volleyball team has been honored with a Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The Eagles are one of 125 teams honored nationally out of approximately 1,000 NCAA schools.

Emory compiled a 3.41 grade point average for the 2003-04 school year. Of all the honorees, Emory was the only one to be selected for its respective NCAA volleyball championship tournament last season and to be recognized among the top 25 national academic universities by U.S. News and World Report.

Last semester, 13 of the 15 Emory players had a 3.31 GPA or higher (on a 4.0 scale) while three of them made the Dean's List which honors students in the top 20 percent of their class. Last season, Emory amassed a 32-14 record and advanced to the final four of the NCAA Division III championship tournament for the first time in school history.

To win the award, a team must compile a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale) for the entire school year.

(Dec. 6) Emory University's most successful season ended with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division III national championship.

After a five-game loss in the national semifinals last night, the Eagles fell 3-0 tonight to University of La Verne (Calif.). Emory ends the season with a 32-14 record, one win shy of the school record, but with its first-ever appearance in the NCAA final four.

In game one, the score was tied at 17-all before La Verne pulled away for 30-24 score. In game two, Emory had a 16-8 lead but La Verne came back to tie it at 18 apiece and won the game 30-25. In game three, the Eagles fell behind 9-2 and did not recover as La Verne closed out the match at 30-24.

"We had a great season," Emory Coach Jennifer McDowell said. "We're disappointed we didn't perform better this weekend. I told our players to remember that there were more than 400 teams that didn't make it to the final four and we're going to savor that accomplishment."

The contest marked the end of the collegiate career for Emory senior Lauren Campbell. All the other players return next season.

(Dec. 5) In the national semifinals of the NCAA Division III championship, Emory University lost in five games to New York University. The Eagles play in the third-place match Saturday at 4 pm Pacific time.

Emory had a 7-3 lead in the fifth and deciding game before New York rallied fora 15-9 win. It was the second time this season the two teams had gone five games.

Emory forced the fifth game by winning the fourth game, 30-20. The Eagles were poised to repeat their scenario from the regional finals against Trinity (Texas). In that match, Emory won the fourth and fifth games.

Katrina Damasco led all players with 20 kills, her third 20-kill match of theseason. Jolene Litzman, who was named to the All-America team, had 13 kills and Sarah Sweeney added 10.

Emory collected 97 digs, matching its second-best output of the season. Courtney Rose had 22 digs, followed by Lauren Campbell with 21.

The Eagles (32-13) have a chance to tie the school record for wins in a season.

(Dec. 1) Jolene Litzman has been named to the All-America team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Litzman, who is one of 36 players honored in NCAA Division III, made the third team.

Litzman, in her first season as a starter, is the sixth Eagle to receive All-America recognition. [That count includes Megan Williams who was a two-time All-American.]

Litzman, playing the right side hitter position, hit .268 with 379 kills and amassed 77 blocks. She earlier was named to the all-region and all-conference teams.

(Nov. 24) Three Emory University players have been named to the all-region team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Juniors Jolene Litzman and Monica Robbins and sophomore Remley Dodge were three of the 12 players selected to the team.

This is the second consecutive year for Dodge and Robbins, while Litzman bears this honor for the first time in her collegiate career. Freshman Courtney Rose received honorable mention for the all-region team.

This is the seventh consecutive season that Emory has had at least three players named to the all-region team. Next year, Dodge and Robbins have an opportunity to become only the fifth and sixth Eagles to be named all-region three consecutive years.

(Nov. 23) The host school for the final four of the NCAA Division III national championship is the University of La Verne (Calif.).

Emory plays New York University Dec. 5 at 4:30 pm. The third-place match is the next day at 4:30 pm, followed by the championship match at 7 pm.

(Nov. 22) For the first time in school history, Emory University has advanced to the final four of the NCAA Division III national championship. The Eagles did so with a 3-1 (30-21, 27-30, 30-21, 30-23) win against Williams College (Mass.) tonight in the NCAA quarterfinals.

In the national semifinals, Emory faces New York University. The semis will be played Dec. 5-6 on the campus of one of the competing teams. The host school will be announced Sunday.

Katrina Damasco had a match-high 22 kills, becoming the fourth Eagle ever with 20 kills in an NCAA tournament match. She was one kill shy of the school record set last week by Courtney Rose.

Also in double digits for kills were Rose with 16, Jolene Litzman, 14, and Monica Robbins, 12. As a team, Emory had 75 kills, breaking the school post-season record of 70 set last week against Trinity (Texas) in the regional final.

Setter Remley Dodge set an individual record for an Eagle with 62 assists bettering the 60 assists she had against Trinity.

Lauren Campbell, the squad's lone senior, collected 23 digs, her fourth 20-dig effort of the season, a school record.

Emory improves to 32-12 on the season, one win shy of the school record. The Eagles had 33 wins in 1994, 1997 and 2002.

Emory, ranked No. 6 nationally, is one of three University Athletic Association teams competing in the final four. The others are No. 2 Washington (Mo.), and No. 7 New York. The fourth team is No. 3 La Verne (Calif.).

(Nov. 17) Emory University juniors Jolene Litzman and Monica Robbins have been named to the Academic All-District third team for volleyball.

Litzman had a 3.70 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale) while pursuing a double major in economics and mathematics. In her first season as a starter, replacing an All-American, Litzman made the all-conference second team.

Robbins had a 3.51 cumulative grade point average as a business administration major. She was voted to the all-conference first team. Currently, Robbins is 15th in the nation for best hitting percentage in NCAA Division III.

Voting for the Academic All-District team is conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Emory nominees represent the "college division" in District 3 which is composed of NCAA Division II and III, and NAIA schools in the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Six players were named to the first team, seven to the second team and eight to the third team.

(Nov. 16) Emory University has been selected to host the NCAA national quarterfinal match against Williams College (Mass.).

The match will be played this Saturday at 7 pm on the Emory campus in the George W. Woodruff P.E. Center. This is the first time Emory has ever hosted a quarterfinal or Final Four match in a team-based sport.

The NCAA requires that admission be charged to tournament events. Ticket prices are $4 for adults, $3 for students with valid ID and $2 for children under 12 years of age.

Emory (31-12) is ranked No. 14 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Williams (35-3) is ranked No. 22. The two schools have never met in volleyball.

The Eagles advanced by winning an NCAA regional for the first time in school history.

(Nov. 15) For the first time in school history, Emory University has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Eagles did so with a 3-2 win against the No. 4 ranked team in the nation, Trinity University (Texas).

Down 26-21 in the fourth game, Emory rallied to win the game, 31-29. The momentum carried over into a 15-11 victory in the decisive fifth game. Emory had lost to Trinity in the NCAA regional finals the last two years.

Freshman Courtney Rose set a school record for most kills in an NCAA tournament match with 23. Only two other Eagles have ever compiled 20 kills in the NCAA tourney.

All-American Megan Williams (1997-2000) had 21 in a 1999 match against Savannah Art & Design (Ga.). Alicia Moore (1994-97) registered 20 in a 1997 match against Thomas More (Ky.).

Photo courtesy of Gary Pickle

Sophomore Katrina Damasco narrowly missed joining the 20-kill club, finishing with 19 and a .342 hitting percentage. In two matches this weekend, she combined for 34 kills and a .357 percentage.

Sophomore Remley Dodge set a school record for most assists in an NCAA tournament match with 60. That number has only been attained five times in an Emory regular-season match, including Dodge this season, but never in the post-season.

Emory's defense racked up 11 blocks, tying a school post-season mark set in the 1997 match versus Thomas More. The Eagles had 66 digs, fourth best ever in an NCAA tournament match.

Lauren Campbell, the team's lone senior, had a team-high 15 digs, one shy of the school post-season mark. The record is 16 by Amy Hyman (1999-2002) against Trinity last year.

Dodge had 13 assists as did Rose. Junior K.C. Conley added 12 digs.

Emory, ranked No. 14 in the nation, plays No. 22 Williams (Mass.) Nov. 22. The NCAA committee will decide Sunday which of the two schools hosts the match.

Emory is one of three University Athletic Association schools to reach the national quarterfinals.

Photo courtesy of Gary Pickle

(Nov. 14) Emory University advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III national tournament with a 3-0 win against Washington & Lee University (Va.). The Eagles, now 30-12 overall, prevailed 30-27, 30-25, and 30-27, to beat the Generals for the second time this season.

Emory plays in the South region final tomorrow night against Trinity University. This is the fourth consecutive time, sixth in eight years, that Emory is in the regional final. It will be the third consecutive year Emory has played Trinity in the final.

Emory hit .404 for the match, the third time in school history that it has bettered .400 in an NCAA tournament match. The Eagles had a .459 kill percentage against Savannah Art & Design (Ga.) last year and a .402 percentage against Averett (Va.) in 2000.

This also is the fourth time this season, Emory has hit .400 or better in a match. All four have come in the team's last 14 matches. The season high is .457 against Case Western Reserve (Ohio) Nov. 7.

Katrina Damasco led Emory with 15 kills. She hit .375, her highest percentage since a .405 mark against Case Reserve Oct. 19.

Jolene Litzman tallied 11 kills and a .500 hitting mark. This is her fourth match this season with a .500 percentage and at least 10 kills. Her season high is .524 against Case Reserve Nov. 7.

Remley Dodge, who had already broken her school record for assists in a season, tallied 45 tonight. This is the 11th time in 12 matches she has 40 or more assists. The only miss was last week in the conference tournament when she had 35 in a three-game sweep of Carnegie Mellon (Pa.).

Emory already has broken its school season records for kills and digs as a team. The former was set last year while the latter belonged to the 1999 squad.

This marks the sixth time in eight years, all under Coach Jennifer McDowell, that the Eagles have attained the 30-win plateau. Prior to her arrival in 1996, Emory had one 30-win season.

(Nov. 9) Emory University has been selected for the NCAA Division III national tournament for the eighth consecutive year. The Eagles (29-12) are the No. 2 seed in the six-team regionals this weekend in San Antonio.

Emory gets a first-round bye and plays Friday night in the regional semifinals against the winner of Thursday's match between Washington & Lee (Va.) and Averett (Va.). The regional championship is Saturday night.

Emory lost to Washington & Lee, 3-0, Sept. 13, but won the rematch Sept. 27, 3-1. Emory beat Averett, 3-1, Sept. 13.

Emory received one of five at-large spots nationally for the 48-team field. The Eagles have been ranked in the national top-25 in every weekly poll by the coaches' association this season.

The Eagles have advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament five times in the last seven years.

The current streak of NCAA appearances began in 1996, the first year for Emory coach Jennifer McDowell. She entered this season with the second-best career winning percentage (.788) among active Division III coaches.

(Nov. 8) Emory University finished third at the University Athletic Association championships. This is the ninth consecutive year the Eagles have placed in the top three in the conference.

Emory beat Carnegie Mellon (Pa.), 3-0, in the third-place match. Earlier today, in the semifinal match, Emory forced Washington (Mo.), ranked No. 2 in the nation, to five games before losing.

This is the first time the Eagles have pushed Washington to five games twice in the same season. Emory did so earlier in the UAA Round Robin II Oct. 18.

Named to the all-conference first team were Monica Robbins and Remley Dodge. On the second team are Katrina Damasco and Jolene Litzman. This is the first such honor for all four players. Courtney Rose and Sarah Sweeney received honorable mention.

In pool play yesterday, Emory beat Brandeis (Mass.) and Case Western Reserve (Ohio) and lost to the No. 11 team in the nation, New York University.

The Eagles, ranked No. 14 in the nation, compiled an 8-4 record in the conference with all four losses to national top-15 teams. Overall, Emory is 29-12 with nine of its losses to national top-20 teams in Division III or NAIA.

The 29 wins is the seventh-highest win total in school history. This is the 10th consecutive season the Eagles have won 27 or more matches.

Emory awaits a possible eighth consecutive bid to the 48-team NCAA national tournament. The Eagles have reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament five times in seven years.

(Nov. 3) Emory University dropped a four-game match to Lee University (Tenn.), a nationally ranked NAIA team.

In her last regular season home game, senior Lauren Campbell recorded 16 digs. She now holds the Emory University record for career digs with 1,096 surpassing Audrey Jones (1996-99) who previously held the record with 1,080.

Courtney Rose led Emory with 13 kills followed by Katrina Damasco with 11. Setter Remley Dodge distributed 44 assists on the night.

Emory (26-10), ranked 14th in the nation, looks ahead to the UAA Championships this weekend in New York City.

(Oct. 28) Emory University dropped a four-game match to Lee University (Tenn.), a nationally ranked NAIA team.

Senior Lauren Campbell had 14 digs to tie the school record for career digs. She has 1,080 digs to tie Audrey Jones (1996-99).

Courtney Rose led Emory with 14 kills followed by Katrina Damasco with 11. Setter Remley Dodge was credited with 46 assists.

The same two teams play again next Monday in Atlanta.

(Oct. 24) Emory University won matches against Centre College (KY) and Piedmont College, both in three games. Monica Robbins led the Eagles with 17 kills in the first match, compiling a hitting percentage of .600. She also added three service aces and two blocks. Courtney Rose notched 18 digs, while Remley Dodge had 49 assists.

In the Piedmont match, Lindsay Jones led the Eagles in kills with 12 in addition to five digs. Catherine Zidow served up 40 assists., while Katie Wildermuth dug out 11 balls. The Eagles, ranked 15th in the nation, now improve to 26-8.

(Oct. 19) Emory University garnered the No. 3 seed for the conference championships next month. The Eagles did so by finishing with a 5-2 record in the University Athletic Association round robins.

Emory won both matches today, 3-1 against Case Western Reserve (Ohio) and 3-0 against Rochester (N.Y.). Yesterday, Emory beat Chicago 3-0, and fell to the No. 2 team in the nation, Washington (Mo.), 3-2.

Emory was 2-1 in the first UAA round robin, beating Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) and Brandeis (Mass.) and losing to New York U., currently No. 9 in the nation.

At the conference championships, Emory will compete in a pool with Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve. The top two teams from that pool advance to the single-elimination quarterfinals.

The Eagles, No. 15 in the nation, have a season record of 23-8, with four of the losses to teams presently ranked in the top 10 nationally.

(Oct. 11) Emory University finished with a 1-3 record in its Emory National Invitational featuring five nationally ranked teams.

The Eagles, ranked No. 14, defeated unranked Greensboro (N.C.), and lost to the No. 1, No. 4, and No. 17 ranked teams.

In the Greensboro win, Emory recorded 11 service aces, the sixth time this season it has been in double digits for aces.

In a four-game match against No. 17 Ohio Northern, Emory set season highs for kills, assists and digs. The Eagles had 72 kills, 67 assists and 134 digs in that match. The previous highs were 69 kills, 63 assists and 97 digs.

Emory now has a season record of 20-7. This is the 13th consecutive year has Emory won 20 or more matches.

Emory celebrated "Senior Day" in honor of senior Lauren Campbell. At her current pace, Campbell will break the school record for career digs, held by Audrey Jones (1996-99).

(Oct. 4) Emory University won two of three matches in the University Athletic Association Round Robin I.

The Eagles (19-4) beat Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) and Brandeis (Mass.). Emory, ranked No. 11 in the nation, lost in five games to New York, ranked No. 15 nationally.

The last time Emory played a five-game match was last Nov. 1 at Flagler (Fla.). Emory was involved in three matches last season that went five games, all against non-NCAA Division III teams.

Results from the UAA round robins determine the seeding for the conference championship. The second round robin is Oct. 18-19 at Rochester, N.Y.

Next weekend, the Eagles host the Emory National Invitational in which Emory will face teams currently ranked No. 1, 4 and 12 in the nation.

(Sept. 27) Emory University finished second in its Emory Tournament. In five tournaments this season, the Eagles have won two and finished second in the others.

Emory, ranked No. 10 in the nation, avenged a previous loss by beating Washington & Lee (Va.), 3-1. In the championship match, Emory lost 3-1 to Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.).

Jolene Litzman and Sarah Sweeney were named to the all-tournament team.

In the W&L match, Lauren Campbell had her second 20-dig performance of the season with 22. She had 25 against Texas Lutheran Sept. 25.

Courtney Rose had 13 kills, her second-highest total of the season, and 16 digs, also her second-best effort this season. Katrina Damasco had a team-high 17 kills and Litzman added 13. The team had a season-high 23 assisted blocks.

Against Palm Beach, Monica Robbins again had 10 kills with no errors, this time in 13 attacks for a .769 hitting percentage. But she was sidelined early in the second game after injuring one of her ankles. Last night Robbins had 10 kills with no errors in 12 attacks.

Litzman had 13 kills followed by Sweeney with 12. Rose was credited with 13 digs.

(Sept. 26) Emory University, ranked No. 10 in the nation, won both of its matches in its Emory Tournament. The Eagles were 3-0 winners against Maryville (Tenn.) and East Texas Baptist.

Catherine Zidow played all six games at setter, finishing with 30 assists against Maryville and 33 versus East Texas. Katrina Damasco led Emory in kills in both matches with nine in the former and 12 in the latter. Lauren Campbell was the team leader in digs with 12 and 14, respectively.

Monica Robbins registered 10 kills with no errors in 12 attacks in the nightcap for an .833 hitting percentage, highest of her career (minimum 12 attacks). Her previous best was .786 (11 kills, 0 errors, 14 attacks) against New York on Oct. 12, 2002.

(Sept. 20) Emory University won its Emory Invitational with a perfect 4-0 record. The Eagles, ranked No. 11 in the nation, won a pair of matches today against Savannah Art & Design (Ga.) and Thomas More (Ky.).

Emory's Monica Robbins was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Teammates Lauren Campbell and Jolene Litzman were selected to the all-tournament team.

Robbins led Emory with 12 kills and four service aces as Emory beat Savannah for the second consecutive week. Campbell had a team-high 19 digs. The Eagles tied a season high with 15 service aces. They did the same against Capital (Ohio) Sept. 6.

Campbell again was the defensive leader with 13 digs in the Thomas More win. She leads the team with 102 digs this season. Assuming that Emory plays only three games in each of its remaining matches, Campbell is on pace for 362 digs, just 17 shy of her own school season record set last year.

Other notable leaders against Thomas More were Sarah Sweeney with eight kills and Katrina Damasco with six service aces. The latter is a single-match high this season by any Eagle.

Next weekend, Emory hosts the Emory Tournament with a chance to avenge its only two losses this season.

(Sept. 19) Emory University, ranked No. 11 in the nation, improved its season record to 12-2 with a pair of wins in the first day of the Emory Invitational. The Eagles beat Texas Lutheran, 3-1, and Southwestern (Texas), 3-1.

In the nightcap, Emory came up with a season-high 97 digs, the sixth-best total in school history in any match and second best in a four-game match. Courtney Rose led the Eagles with 19 digs.

In the opener, Emory was credited with 86 digs, its second highest match total this season. Lauren Campbell had 25 digs, most by an Eagle this season. Her total was the fifth highest in school history and two shy of the school record.

For the second time this season, setter Remley Dodge had 50 or more assists in back-to-back matches on the same day. She set up 51 assists against Texas Lutheran and 52 against Southwestern.

Sarah Sweeney made efficient use of Dodge's sets, hitting .451 in the two matches combined with 27 kills and four errors in 51 attacks. Katrina Damasco led Emory with 18 kills in the first match and Jolene Litzman did the honors in the second match with 17 kills.

Emory is the only unbeaten team (2-0) after the first day of the tournament.

(Sept. 13) For the second consecutive weekend, Emory University claimed tournament runner-up honors, this time at the Washington & Lee (Va.) Invitational.

Emory, ranked No. 9 in the nation, fell to the host school in the tournament's championship match. The Eagles advanced to the finals by winning their other three matches.

On Friday, Emory beat Christopher Newport (Va.) and Savannah Art & Design (Ga.), both of whom were NCAA tournament participants along with Emory last season. In today's semifinals, Emory beat Averett (Va.).

Middle hitter Monica Robbins was named to the all-tournament team.

This is the first time Emory has ever lost to Washington & Lee in eight matches. W&L also was an NCAA tournament participant last season.

This is Emory's first loss to a nationally unranked Division III team since Oct. 28, 2001, a 3-1 decision to Carnegie Mellon (Pa.). This is the Eagles' first loss to a nationally unranked Division III team from its region since Nov. 12, 1999, a 3-2 decision to Savannah Art & Design (Ga.) in the NCAA tournament. The last time Emory dropped a 3-0 decision to a nationally unranked team in its region was Oct. 12, 1998 against Southwestern (Texas).

The Eagles graduated three All-Americans from last year's squad that finished No. 7 in the final national coaches' poll.

(September 6) Emory University finished second in its Emory Classic. This ends a three-year streak in which the Eagles won their own tournament.

Emory suffered its first loss of the season, a 3-0 decision to Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.). Prior to that, Emory won all three of its matches in the tournament, beating Oglethorpe (Ga.), Rhodes (Tenn.), and Capital (Ohio), all by 3-0 scores.

Emory, now 7-1, entered the week ranked No. 8 in the national coaches' poll. The Eagles graduated three All-Americans from last year's team which ended No. 7 in the final rankings.

(August 30) Nationally ranked Emory University opened its season with a perfect 4-0 record to win the West Alabama Tournament.

This is the fourth time in five years that Emory, ranked No. 8 in the nation, has opened a season by winning its first four matches.

(August 20) Emory University is eighth in the nation in NCAA Division III in the pre-season poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

The Eagles were seventh in the final poll last season after compiling a 33-9 record and advancing to the "Sweet 16" round of the NCAA national tournament for the fifth time in seven years. Emory graduated three All-Americans from that 2002 squad.

Emory was ranked seventh in the 2002 pre-season poll and 11th in both 2001 and 2000.