HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The 17th-ranked Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team defeated Susquehanna University in straight sets before falling to top-ranked Juniata College on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs SUSQUEHANNA (W&L, 3-0 | 25-14, 25-15, 25-18)
- After the match was tied at six following back-to-back kills from Susquehanna (12-9, 3-1 Landmark), the Generals (19-1, 8-0 ODAC) responded with five straight points, including a pair of kills from Avery Myers, to take an 11-6 lead. The Blue and White extended their lead to ten late in the set with a 9-1 run, featuring kills from Myers, Grace Mitchener, and Riley Debiec. A Penelope Quiles service ace and two Riverhawk attacking errors secured a 25-14 win for the Generals in the first frame.
- The Blue and White opened the second set with a 7-3 run, highlighted by kills from Emily Schellenberg, Mitchener, and Emery Goerig. After trading points, the Generals went on another 6-1 run to take a 21-13 lead, featuring three kills from Myers and service aces from Quiles and Schellenberg. Mitchener, Debiec, and Myers rattled off three straight kills to claim the second set 25-15.
- The third set started closely contested, but W&L pulled ahead with a 7-1 run, taking a 13-6 lead with kills from Myers, Debiec, and Goerig, and a service ace from Allie Buchholz. The Riverhawks battled back within one following a 7-1 run of their own, but the Generals responded with kills from Mitchener and Schellenberg, and another Buchholz service ace to extend their lead to five. The Blue and White capped off the third set with a 6-1 run, featuring two kills from Myers, one from Mitchener, and a block by Schellenberg and Goerig.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Avery Myers posted a career-high 19 kills on 39 attempts for a .359 hitting percentage in the win. Grace Mitchener followed closely with 13 kills and a .458 hitting percentage, adding two service aces as well.
- Allie Buchholz dished out a match-high 36 assists, marking her 13th match of the season with 30 or more assists. She also recorded 10 digs and three service aces. Penelope Quiles led W&L with 15 digs while adding two service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs #1 JUNIATA (JC, 3-0 | 21-25, 21-25, 12-25)
- After falling behind 10-3, the Generals battled back to take a 12-11 lead in the first set with a 9-1 run. The run was highlighted by five kills from Mitchener and service aces from Vivi Vasquez and Buchholz. Juniata (17-0, 4-0 Landmark) responded with a 7-1 run to go up 22-18, but the Generals cut the deficit to two with two Eagles errors and a Mitchener kill. Juniata's Courtney Williams capped off the first set with a kill, giving the Eagles a 25-21 win.
- In the second set, the Eagles jumped out to a 9-5 lead, but the Generals rattled off five straight points to take a 10-9 lead, highlighted by kills from Goerig, Schellenberg, and Mitchener. Back-to-back kills from Myers tied the set at 12 before Juniata went on a 5-0 run to take a 17-12 lead. Both teams traded points until the final two of the set, where Mackenzie Coley registered a kill and Christy Kennedy added a service ace to give the Eagles another 25-21 win.
- Juniata jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the third set before extending their lead to 20-6 with an 8-1 run. However, the Generals fought back within ten points with a 5-1 run, featuring two kills and service aces from Mitchener. The Eagles closed out the set with a 4-1 run to claim a 25-12 win, handing the Generals their first loss of the season.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Grace Mitchener led the Generals with 13 kills on 36 attempts for a .278 hitting percentage, while Avery Myers added eight kills. Mackenzie Coley of Juniata led the match with 18 kills on 30 attempts for a .567 hitting percentage.
- Olivia Foley of Juniata dished out a match-high 48 assists in the win, while Allie Buchholz recorded 28 for the Generals. Mitchener added a match-high four service aces, while Buchholz and Vivi Vasquez each had one.
- Vasquez posted a match-high 23 digs in the loss, while Mitchener and Myers both recorded double-digit digs. Sydney Ohl led the Eagles with 15 digs.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals are now 19-1 on the season after dropping their first match to the two-time defending national champions.
- The Blue and White registered 76 kills on 218 attempts for a .247 hitting percentage across both matches on Saturday, posting a match-high .414 hitting percentage in the second set against Susquehanna.
- Avery Myers led the Generals with 27 kills on 79 attempts for a .241 hitting percentage, while Grace Mitchener tallied 26 kills across both matches.
- Allie Buchholz dished out 64 assists, averaging 10.6 assists per set, while recording four service aces and 16 digs. She now ranks 8th all-time in program history with 1,949 assists and 11th all-time with 1,172 digs.
- Vivi Vasquez led the Generals with 32 digs across the two matches, averaging 5.33 per set.
UP NEXT
- The 17th-ranked Generals return to Holekamp Gym on Wednesday, Oct. 16 as they welcome Christopher Newport University for a 6 p.m. match.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
