2004

(Nov. 22) Three Emory University players have been named to the All-America team selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Monica Robbins and Courtney Rose earned second-team honors, while Catherine Zidow earned third-team honors.

Three All-Americans is the most Emory has had in school history. Emory had two All-Americans in 2002. This is the sixth season in a row that Emory has had at least one player make the All-America team.

In addition, Jolene Litzman received honorable mention. This is Robbins, Rose, and Zidow's first time on the All-America team.

Robbins, a senior middle hitter, receives the honor for the first time in her career. She also made the all-region and all-conference first team this season. She was named to all-tournament teams at the Trinity Invitational, Emory Classic and Emory National Invitational. She led the team in hitting percentage and total blocks for the season. She ends her Emory career with the highest career hitting percentage (.353) and the second-most career total blocks (433).

Rose, a sophomore outside hitter, receives the honor for the first time in her career. She also made the all-region and all-conference first team this season. She was the MVP of the Emory Invitational and Emory National Invitational, and was named to the Emory Classic all-tournament team in addition. For the week of October 25, Rose was named AVCA National Player of the Week for Division III. On the season, she led the team in kills and was second in digs. Rose became the first player in school history to amass at least 300 kills and digs in two separate seasons. With 750 career kills and 711 career digs, she is on pace to become the first player in school history to amass more than 1,000 career kills and digs.

Zidow, a junior setter, receives the honor for the first time in her career. In her first season as a starter, she also made the all-region team and received all-conference honorable mention this season. She was named to the Spring Hill Classic and Emory Invitational all-tournament teams. She led the team in assists and was third in blocks. Zidow earned Emory's only triple-double of the season against, then No. 6 in the nation, Washington University (MO) with 11 kills, 42 assists and 13 digs. With 1,679 career assists, Zidow is fifth in school history for career assists.

Litzman received All-America third-team honors for the 2003.

(Nov. 22) Coach Jennifer McDowell has been named the regional Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). This is the first time McDowell has received the honor.

She coached the team to a 31-10 record for the season, amassing the second-most wins in school history. She led the team to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III national championships for the second consecutive season, after losing three starters from last season and replacing them with three players from last year's roster.

In addition, McDowell has guided Emory to seven appearances in the round of 16, and nine consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament. Her record at Emory now stands at 278-82. McDowell entered the season with the second-best career winning percentage (.774) among active Division III coaches.

(Nov. 19) Emory University's season ended in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III national tournament. The Eagles fell to the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Juniata College (Pa.), 30-21, 30-20, 30-25.

Emory finishes with a 31-10 record, its eighth 30-win season in 11 years. The Eagles were ranked in the top 25 in the nation in every weekly poll conducted by the coaches' association, peaking at No. 5 this week (final rankings are released after the championship match).

Emory had seven wins against teams ranked in the top 25 nationally in Division III, including a pair of wins against teams then ranked No. 1 in the nation. Two of its wins against top-25 teams were 3-2 victories in which Emory rallied from 2-0 deficit in games. Of its 10 losses, five were to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in Division III, the other five were to scholarship schools.

This is the second consecutive year Emory advanced to the national quarterfinals, the seventh time in nine years that it reached the round of 16, and its ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.

The match closes the collegiate careers of Emory seniors K.C. Conley, Jolene Litzman, Monica Robbins, and Katie Wildermuth. The quartet contributed to the first Final Four berth in school history (2003), and a four-year record of 123-40, fourth-most wins in school history in a four-year period.

(Nov. 18) Four Emory University players have been named to the all-region team selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Honored are Monica Robbins, Jolene Litzman, Courtney Rose, and Catherine Zidow. In addition, Katrina Damasco received honorable mention.

Robbins received the honor for the third time in her career, Litzman for the second, and Rose and Zidow for the first time.

Robbins, a senior, was also named to the all-conference first team. On the season, she leads Emory in hitting percentage and blocks.

Litzman, a senior, was also named to the all-conference second team. She is second on the team in kills for the season.

Rose, a sophomore, was also named to the all-conference first team. She leads the team in kills and is second in digs on the season.

Zidow, a junior, also received all-conference honorable mention. On the season, she leads the team in assists and is third in blocks.

Four players are the second most Emory has ever had on the all-region team. The Eagles had five players on the team in 2002. This is the eighth season in a row that Emory has had at least three players on the all-region team.

(Nov.18) Jolene Litzman has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District second team for volleyball. This is the second time she has received the honor after being named to the all-district third team last season.

Litzman had a 3.68 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale) while pursuing a double major in economics and mathematics. She has received Conference All-Academic Recognition three times (2002, 2003, 2004).

The senior was also named to the volleyball all-region team and the all-conference second team. She is second on the team this season in kills and block assists.

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 each team.

(Nov. 14) Three Emory University players were named to the University Athletic Association all-conference team. Monica Robbins and Courtney Rose earned first-team honors and Jolene Litzman earned second-team honors. In addition, Katrina Damasco and Catherine Zidow received honorable mention.

This is Robbins' second time on the first team after receiving the honor in 2003. The senior leads the team in blocks this season and is third in kills. She is third in school history in career blocks with 423 and fifth in career kills with 1,271.

Rose received honorable mention last season when she became the second player in school history to record 300 kills and 300 digs. This season, the sophomore leads the team in kills and is second in digs, and is on pace to record 300 of each for the second year in a row.

Jolene Litzman, who earned second-team honors in 2003, is second on the team in kills and fourth in blocks. In two seasons of full-time play, the senior has amassed more than 800 kills.

This is the ninth straight year that Emory has had three players on the all-conference team. The most Emory players named to the all-conference team in one season is five, when the 1998 team did it.

(Nov. 13) For the second consecutive year, Emory University has advanced to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III national tournament. Emory (31-9) did so by winning the South region championship with a 3-0 win (30-25, 30-23, 30-25) against Texas Lutheran University.

NCAA Regional Champs!

It will be an all-Eagles quarterfinal matchup next Saturday Nov. 20 as Emory faces Juniata College (Pa.), winner of the Mid-Atlantic region, and the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Emory, ranked No. 9 in the nation, has two wins this season against teams then ranked No. 1 in the nation.

The Emory defense amassed 62 digs thanks to libero Katie Wildermuth who had 18 digs, followed by Katrina Damasco with 16, and Courtney Rose with 14.

K.C. Conley, who had five service aces for Emory, served 10 consecutive points as Emory turned a 17-11 deficit into a 21-17 advantage in the final game.

Damasco had a team-high 12 kills while Rose and Jolene Litzman each had 10. Catherine Zidow amassed 39 assists.

The host for the Emory-Juniata will be selected Sunday. In the national quarterfinals last season, Emory defeated Williams (Mass.) to earn its first trip to the volleyball final four.

(Nov. 12) Emory University advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III national tournament for the fifth consecutive year with a 3-1 win against Washington & Lee (Va.). The Eagles play for the regional finals and a berth in the national quarterfinals Saturday night against Texas Lutheran.

This is the seventh time in nine years under Coach Jennifer McDowell that Emory has reached the round of 16. Last season, the Eagles won the regional title for the first time and advanced to the Final Four.

The win is the 30th of the season for Emory, against nine losses, marking its eighth 30-win season in 11 years. This marks the first time Emory has ever recorded three consecutive 30-win seasons. The Eagles had 32 wins last season and a school-record 33 the year before.

Courtney Rose led Emory with 14 kills, followed by Kristin Anderson with a season-high 13 kills and Monica Robbins with 12.

Anderson racked up her 13 kills in 21 attacks with one error for a .571 hitting percentage. This is the first time this season Anderson has 10 or more kills in back-to-back matches. She had 11 in the conference championship against Washington (Mo.), then ranked No. 6 in the nation.

Emory setter Catherine Zidow was credited with 50 assists, the eighth time this season she has reached that plateau. The last time was Oct. 23 against Wittenberg (Ohio), then the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, in a five-game Emory victory.

Emory also beat Washington & Lee, 3-1, earlier this season on Sept. 24. Emory beat Texas Lutheran, 3-0, on Oct. 30.

(Nov. 8) Emory University has been selected for the NCAA Division III national tournament for the ninth consecutive year. Emory will host the six-team regionals this weekend Nov. 11-13.

As the No. 2 seed, the Eagles (29-9) get a first-round bye which places them in the regional semifinals Friday night at 7 p.m. (ET) against the winner of the match between No. 3 seed Washington & Lee (Va.) and No. 6 seed Maryville (Tenn.). If Emory wins, it would play in the regional finals Saturday night at 7 p.m. (ET).

The other teams competing in the regionals are No. 1 seed Trinity (Texas), No. 4 Texas Lutheran, and No. 5 Christopher Newport (Va.).

Emory beat Washington & Lee earlier this season, 3-1 on Sept. 24, and it beat Maryville, 3-0 Oct. 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, including a high of No. 6.

The Eagles have advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament six times in the last eight years, including a Final Four berth in 2003.

The current streak of NCAA appearances began in 1996, the first year for Emory coach Jennifer McDowell. She entered this season with the fourth-best career winning percentage (.774) among active Division III coaches.

There will be an admission charge, as required by the NCAA. Free parking is available.

(Nov. 6) Emory University finished second in the University Athletic Association championships. This is the sixth time in nine years that the Eagles have been conference runner-up.

Emory, ranked No. 11 in the nation, swept No. 10 New York University in the semifinals. Then the Eagles fell 3-1 to No. 6 and defending national champion Washington University (Mo.) in the finals.

Emory finished with a perfect 3-0 record in pool play by beating Case Western Reserve University (Ohio), University of Chicago, and No. 23 Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.).

Emory concludes its regular season with a 29-9 record, one win shy of its eighth 30-win season in 11 years. Another win would mark the first time Emory has ever recorded three consecutive 30-win seasons. The Eagles had 32 wins last season and a school-record 33 the year before.

The Eagles await their ninth consecutive NCAA tournament berth, to be announced late Sunday night. The tournament begins with regional competition this Thursday-Saturday at a site to be determined. Emory advanced to the final four last season.

Several Eagles moved up in the school record book in season statistical categories. Monica Robbins is fourth in block assists and fifth in total blocks. Catherine Zidow is eighth in assists and Katie Wildermuth is ninth in digs.

(Nov. 5) Emory University, ranked No. 11 in the nation, swept its first three matches of the UAA Tournament without dropping a game, defeating Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago and No. 23 Carnegie Mellon in pool play.

Senior Monica Robbins led the way in the Chicago match, registering 11 kills and a .786 hitting percentage. In the nightcap against Carnegie Mellon, Robbins, junior Katrina Damasco and sophomore Courtney Rose had nine kills apiece and freshman Kelly McIntosh registered a personal best nine digs.

Senior Katie Wildermuth had 25 digs over the three matches to lead all Emory players. The Eagles move on to the single-elimination semifinals, Saturday, Nov. 6.

(Oct. 30) Emory University split four matches in the Trinity (Texas) National Invitational with its two losses to national top-10 teams. Emory, ranked seventh in the nation, fell to No. 6 Ohio Northern the host school, No. 10 Trinity.

Monica Robbins was named to the all-tournament team. She had 26 kills combined in the four matches. The senior is on pace to break the school record for best career hitting percentage.

Kristin Anderson set a school record for total blocks in a match with 14 against Texas Lutheran.

Emory beat Texas Lutheran and Randolph-Macon (Va.) to reach the 25-win plateau for the 11th consecutive year. Of the team's eight losses this season, only three have been to Division III teams and all three were nationally ranked in the top 10.

(Oct.26) Emory University's Courtney Rose was named Sports Imports/ AVCA Division III National Player of the Week. The sophomore had a hitting percentage of .530 to help Emory to three wins, including victories over the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams in the nation.

Rose compiled 50 kills and 34 digs in three matches. She earned two double-doubles (10 kills and digs) over the weekend bringing her total to a team-leading eight on the season. In a 3-1 win over Cal-State Hayward, ranked third in the nation, the sophomore had a hitting percentage of .690, amassing 20 kills without making a hitting error. She also added 14 digs. In a 3-2 win over Wittenberg University (OH), ranked first in the nation, Rose had 17 kills and 15 digs. Rose added 13 kills without error and a .650 hitting percentage against the University of Dubuque (IA).

Rose is the fourth player to win the national award in school history.

(Oct. 23) Emory spotted No.1 Wittenberg (Ohio) two games in the final match of the Emory National Invitational Tournament before storming back to win the final three and defeat the Tigers 25-30, 22-30, 30-25, 30-26, 15-13. This is the second time in the past week and third time in its history that Emory, currently ranked No. 12, has defeated a top-ranked team.

Sophomore hitter Courtney Rose was named tourament MVP. She registered 50 kills in three matches and in two of those matches registered a .650 hitting percentage or better with no errors. Joining Rose on the all-tournament team were senior hitter Monica Robbins, who had 17 kills and a .500 hitting percentage against Wittenberg, and senior libero K.C. Conley.

The weekend was a good one for the Eagles as they swept four tournament matches. Also included in their wins was a 30-22, 30-28, 23-30, 30-21 victory over No. 3 California State University-Hayward, a team that had entered the tournament undefeated.

The comeback against Wittenberg is the eighth time in school history that Emory has rallied from a 2-0 deficit in games to win a match. This is the second time this season Emory has pulled off a comeback from 2-0, that one also was against a nationally ranked team, No. 22 Elmhurst (Ill.) on Sept. 25. The only other season in Emory history when the team had two comebacks from 2-0 was the 1992 season.

(Oct. 17) Emory University clinched the No. 2 seed for the conference championships with a pair of wins, including one against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.

In the conclusion of the University Athletic Association Round Robin II, Emory beat No. 1 New York University, 3-1, and Case Western Reserve University (Ohio), 3-0. Yesterday, Emory beat University of Rochester (N.Y.), 3-0, and Brandeis University (Mass.), 3-0.

Emory, ranked No. 15 in the nation, finishes with a 6-1 record in the two UAA round robins, the second-best record among the eight conference schools. Its only loss was to a team currently ranked No. 6 in the nation.

Emory hosts the conference championship Nov. 5-6. The Eagles have finished second in the UAA five times in eight years under Coach Jennifer McDowell.

This is the second time in school history Emory has beaten the No. 1 team in the nation. The other was a 3-2 win against Juniata (Pa.) on Sept. 3, 1999.

(Oct. 13) Emory swept Maryville (Tenn.) 3-0, but the match was much closer than than score indicates. The Eagles came from behind in each of the first two games to win 37-35 and 30-26 before closing the match out 30-22. Sophomore Courtney Rose led the way with 10 kills and .333 hitting percentage and 12 digs. Junior setter Catherine Zidow added eight digs and 37 assists.

(Oct. 4) Emory University went 2-1 in its first weekend of conference play. The Eagles defeated the University of Chicago in three games and Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), ranked 25th in the nation, in five games. The Eagles lost their first game of the season against a Division III opponent, falling to Washington University (Mo.), ranked sixth in the nation.

Over the weekend, Jolene Litzman and Courtney Rose led the team in kills with 35 and 33 respectively. Catherine Zidow had 94 assists, including 36 in only three games against the University of Chicago. Among the defensive leaders were Monica Robbins, who had 14 total blocks, and Maggie Ramm, who had 23 digs, including 15 against nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon.

(Sept. 25) In a matchup of national top-20 teams, No. 13 Emory University rallied from a two-game deficit to beat No. 22 Elmhurst College (Ill.), 28-30, 27-30, 35-33, 30-25, 15-10.

It was the first time Emory had successfully come back from a 2-0 deficit since beating Trinity (Texas) Sept. 15, 2002. The Eagles' last win in five games also was against Trinity, last season in the round of 16 in the NCAA national championship tournament.

With today's comeback, Emory won its Emory Invitational with a 4-0 record on the weekend. The Eagles also beat Eastern (Pa.), 3-0, Washington & Lee (Va.), 3-1, and Randolph-Macon (Va.), 3-0.

Named to the all-tournament team from Emory were Courtney Rose, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, Katie Wildermuth, and Catherine Zidow.

In four matches, Rose compiled 47 kills with a .339 kill percentage and 39 digs. Wildermuth led all Emory players with 61 digs in the tournament. Zidow was credited with 183 assists this weekend, including 59 against Elmhurst, one shy of her season high. Her 59 assists is the eighth-highest match total in school history.

Freshman Ann Nicoletti led Emory with 19 kills in the Elmhurst match, her third consecutive with 10 or more kills. She was one of five Eagles with at least 10 kills against Elmhurst.

(Sept. 18) Emory University split four matches in a tournament featuring four ranked teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The Eagles, ranked 12th in the nation in NCAA Division III, were winners against King (Tenn.) and Michigan-Dearborn, ranked seventh and 10th in their regions, respectively. Emory fell to host Lee (Tenn.), ranked No. 5 in the nation in NAIA, and Doane (Neb.), ranked 15th nationally by the NAIA.

Emory stands at 8-4 overall this season, 3-0 against Division III teams. This is the 10th time in the last 11 years that the Eagles have won at least eight of their first 12 matches.

(Sept. 11) Emory University (6-2), ranked 10th in the nation, finished second in its Emory Classic. The Eagles were 3-1 in the tournament, losing only to Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.), 30-26, 26-30, 31-29, 38-36. Named to the all-tournament team from Emory were Courtney Rose and Monica Robbins.

In the match against Palm Beach, a provisional NCAA Division II school, Emory set several statistical season highs. Catherine Zidow set a career high with 60 assists, the seventh-highest ever by an Eagle.

Katie Wildermuth had 24 digs, a career high, and the sixth-highest match total ever by an Eagle. Emory's 82 digs as a team is the sixth-highest in school history in a four-game match.

Monica Robbins recorded seven block assists, two shy of the school record, and the fourth-highest ever by an Emory player. Robbins also had seven block assists against Washington & Lee (Va.) on Sept. 27, 2003.

Earlier in the tournament, Emory beat Methodist (N.C.), 3-0, Centre (Ky.), 3-1, and Hiram (Ohio), 3-0.

(Sept. 4) Emory University opened its season with a 3-1 record at the Spring Hill Classic in Mobile, Ala. The Eagles, ranked sixth in the nation, lost only to the host institution, ranked 24th in the nation among NAIA schools. Three Emory players--Katrina Damasco, Jolene Litzman, and Catherine Zidow--were named to the all-tournament team.

(August 25) Emory University is ranked sixth in the national pre-season poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Eagles have been in the national top 15 every year since the AVCA began its pre-season poll in 2000.

Emory is coming off its first-ever appearance in the final four of the NCAA national tournament. The Eagles return five starters and 11 letterwinners from the team that was 32-14 and won its NCAA regional championship in 2003.

This is Emory's highest-ever pre-season ranking. It was eighth in last year's pre-season poll, seventh in 2002, 11th in 2001 and 11th in 2000.

Emory is one of three University Athletic Association schools in the national top six, joining No. 1 Washington (Mo.) and No. 2 New York University. Emory is slated to play seven national top-25 teams plus two others listed among those receiving votes.

Since Jennifer McDowell took over as Emory coach in 1996, the Eagles have been listed in the AVCA national weekly rankings 82 times, two behind the national leader in that time frame.