After a remarkable come-from-behind win in the semifinals, the Emory Eagles weren’t about to panic after dropping the first set in the title match of the Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship.

Dani Huffman led a balanced attack with 13 kills as Emory rallied for a 16-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-22 victory over La Verne to capture its first national volleyball title November 22.

Huffman, a senior, also left the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois, as the tournament’s most outstanding player. It’s an honor that wouldn’t have come her way had the Eagles not rallied for a 27-29, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15, 15-12 win over Ohio Northern in the semifinals 24 hours earlier.

Emory, 35-6, turned the championship match in the second set by hitting .406 as a team. The momentum carried over into the third set as the Eagles quickly built an 8-2 lead.

La Verne, 27-3, never made a significant dent to the lead the rest of the set.

A kill by Emory sophomore Amelia McCall gave her team an eight-point lead (21-13), and the Eagles went on to win the set, 25-17. McCall finished with 12 kills in the match.

La Verne, which was looking for its third NCAA Division III national title and first since 2001, made the fourth set a struggle. Crista Jones led the charge for the Leopards by registering three kills and block to give her team an early 5-1 lead.

Emory clawed its way back into the set and tied the score 9-9 on a kill by Alexandra Wright. The score remained close the rest of the match.

La Verne’s Rebecca Villanueva gave her team its last lead (22-21) by recording an ace.

Emory scored the final four points, which included a kill on championship point by Maggie Baird. Wright and Baird each finished the final match with 11 kills.

Brianna Gonzales and Jones led the Leopards’ offense with 18 and 16 kills, respectively.

Emory’s Wright and Natalie Schonefeld, who had 47 assists in the final, joined Huffman on the all-tournament team. Gonzales and Jones represented La Verne on the all-tourney team. 

Quarterfinals

Ohio Northern def. Williams 25-16, 25-14, 25-13; Emory def. St. Benedict 25-16, 16-25, 25-14, 25-20; La Verne def. New Paltz St. 25-15, 25-16, 25-16; Juniata def. Wis.-Oshkosh 25-23, 25-15, 25-22.

Semifinals

Emory def. Ohio Northern 27-29, 22-25; 25-15, 25-15, 15-12; La Verne def. Juniata 20-25, 25-18, 13-25, 25-22, 17-15.

Championship

Emory def. La Verne 16-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-22.

La Verne                   K         E         TA     Pct.      A         SA       D         TB

Courtney Boyd           0          0          1          .000     1          0          9          0

Crista Jones                 16        7          34        .265     0          0          0          3         

Brianna Gonzales        18        6          41        .293     0          1          8          1

Ashley Morgado         1          4          8          -.375    0          0          1          2

Yesenia Lopez                        2          0          9          .222     41        0          6          0

Rebecca Villanueva    3          0          17        .176     0          4          8          0

Nicole Wandler           0          0          0          .000     0          0          0          0

Karli Fowlkes              0          1          1        -1.000    0          0          0          0

Anna Calmer               7          1          14        .429     1          0          0          2

Chelsea Sleight           0          0          0          .000     1          2          15        0

Totals                          47        18        125      .224     44        7          47        8

Emory                                   K         E         TA     Pct.      A         SA       D         TB

Vista Murphy              0          0          2          .000     2          0          4          0

Kelsey Krzyston         0          0          1          .000     1          1          11        0

Amelia McCall            12        8          29        .138     0          0          2          2

Alysse Meyer              7          2          22        .227     0          0          4          0

Dani Huffman             13        4          25        .360     0          0          4          4

Natalie Schonefeld      2          3          8          -.125    47        2          6          0

Kelsey Hodge             0          1          1        -1.000    0          0          5          0

Brannan O’Neill          0          0          0          .000     3          1          11        0

Maggie Baird              11        1          17        .588     0          0          0          2

Alexandra Wright       11        1          23        .435     0          0          0          3

Totals                          56        20        128      .281     53        4          47        11