The No. 4 ranked volleyball team will look to increase its 11 game winning streak (an overall record of 11-1) at the Elmhurst Invitational this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20, in Elmhurst, Ill.

Emory will be playing against No. 12 ranked Eastern University (Pa.), No. 15 ranked Elmhurst College (Ill.), No. 21 ranked University of Chicago and unranked Heidelberg University (Ohio).

Emory’s Head Volleyball Coach Jenny McDowell entered her 19th consecutive year of coaching with the program, with an impressive school and team mark of 579-139 and a 2008 National Championship.

Seniors Cat McGrath, Kate Bowman, Leah Jacobs and Olivia Volarich and junior Sydney Miles captain Emory’s experienced volleyball team, which is predominantly comprised of upperclassmen.

Team spirit is high as the squad goes into their next tournament.

“We have a roster of incredib[ly] driven and competitive girls that push each other to be better players, teammates and people every single day on and off the court, which creates such an exceptional environment that I would consider unique to our team,” Miles said.

The Eagles are looking forward to competing against some of the best Division III volleyball teams and establishing themselves as the team to beat this year. They hope to carry their momentum all the way to the National Championships.

“It’s always big when you can come out and beat some very good teams, and yes it can help, but every single match brings a new challenge, and you have start from the beginning and work for every single point,” Miles said.

Even though the team is competing against some of the best Midwestern teams at the Elmhurst Invitational, Jacobs has no concerns going into the games.

“One of our team’s strengths is our mental toughness. Everyone on the court is a winner, and we refuse to lose,” she said. We have had countless games this year where its come down to the last two points, and we’ve won those games because we know how to rise to the occasion.”

The squad’s confidence and mental strength may even be a negative trait at times.

“Our weakness is that we know we’re good. Many times we go into games expecting to win, which can then slow us down,” Jacobs said. “We still win those games, but we don’t do it as cleanly or effectively as we really should have. Moving forward, we need to completely focus on our side, because if we play to Emory’s standards, we win every time.”

The team looks to keep up their energy and tempo in hopes of increasing their undefeated streak to 14 games and become National Champions this year.

 By Hayley Silverstein

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The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.

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