NCAA Division III Volleyball
Trinity Regional
November 13-15, 2008
Trinity University

Emory Outlasts Southwestern to Win Regional Final

San Antonio - Emory University defeated Southwestern University 3-2 in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Trinity Regional Championship on Saturday night at Trinity University.

Emory (32-6) won 25-20 in the opening set, then dropped the next two as Southwestern (36-5) rallied to take the lead.  After winning 25-23 and 25-14, the Pirates seemed to have the advantage heading to the fourth set, but the Eagles came out on fire and never really looked back in a 25-12 win. 

In the fifth set, Emory again jumped out to an early lead, but Southwestern refused to go quietly in the regional final, bouncing back to narrow the margin.  Emory pulled away at the end, though, winning 15-11 to clinch its place in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Emory was led by 22 kills and 11 digs from Dani Huffman, who also led all players with a blistering .419 hitting percentage.  She committed just four errors in her 43 attacks and also had a team-best four blocks.  Natalie Schonefeld had 49 assists and 19 digs for the Eagles, while Brannan O'Neill eld the team with 31 digs.  Amelia McCall came on late in the match with 10 kills and a .321 hitting percentage.

Christina Nicholls and Danielle Bochat both finished with double-doubles for Southwestern.  While Bochat had 11 kills and 17 digs, Nicholls finished with 42 assists and 11 digs.  Samantha Lingamfelter led the team with 23 digs, while Jill Wigington scored 12 kills to lead the Pirates. Lauren Brown finished with 11 kills and a team-best six blocks.

Emory, playing in its 11th regional final, will head to Bloomington, Illinois for the quarterfinals, while Southwestern ends its season.