LEXINGTON, Va. - The 16th-ranked Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team downed conference foe Roanoke College and Stevenson University in straight sets on Saturday afternoon.
Following the matches, the team honored seniors Alyssah McGuire, Allie Buchholz, Avery Myers and Maddie Weller as well as student assistant Bradford Bush. As a group, they have helped the Generals to a 91-32 overall record and a 40-6 mark in conference play while hoisting two ODAC Championships and making two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs ROANOKE (W&L, 3-0 | 25-19, 25-10, 25-15)
- The Maroons (14-7, 4-5 ODAC) jumped out to a 5-2 lead early in the first set after scoring four straight points. Riley Debiec helped cut into the lead with back-to-back kills, and a Roanoke service error along with a service ace from Vivi Vasquez tied the set at six. Both teams traded points until the Generals (24-2, 12-0 ODAC) went on a 7-1 run late in the set to take a 19-14 lead, highlighted by kills from Avery Myers and Grace Mitchener, along with two service aces from Myers. A subsequent 5-1 run put the Generals up 24-18 before Myers finished off a Buchholz assist to claim the first set 25-19.
- Roanoke scored the first point of the second set after a Peyton Kirchner kill, but the Generals responded with three straight points from two Maroon errors and an Emily Schellenberg service ace, taking a 3-1 lead. Shortly after, the Generals extended their lead to five with kills from Debiec and Myers. W&L then surged to a 19-7 lead by rattling off nine straight points, featuring kills from Myers, Alyssah McGuire, Emery Goerig, and Schellenberg. A 5-1 run capped off the set, as W&L claimed it 25-10 with contributions from Debiec, Myers, and two Roanoke errors.
- After Roanoke took an early 3-2 lead in the third set, the Generals responded with an 8-1 run to jump out to a 10-4 lead, highlighted by three Debiec kills and two from Myers, with McGuire adding one. The Blue and White later expanded their lead to 18-10 following a 5-1 run with three kills from Mitchener and one from McGuire. W&L secured their 12th conference win of the season as Weller finished off a Buchholz assist to take the final set 25-15.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Myers led the match with 13 kills on 29 attempts for a .310 hitting percentage, adding 14 digs. Debiec and Mitchener each contributed 11 kills in the win. Allie Buchholz recorded 38 assists while digging out 11 attacks and registering three blocks. Kylee Draper led Roanoke with 16 assists, while Raygan Wade added six.
- Myers and Emily Schellenberg each registered two service aces, with Vivi Vasquez adding one. Mitchener posted a match-high 15 digs, while Vasquez dug out 14 attacks.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs STEVENSON (W&L, 3-0 | 25-20, 25-19, 25-21)
- Neither team gained an early edge in the first set, but the Generals capitalized on two Stevenson errors and a kill by Riley Debiec to take an 8-3 lead. Later in the set, the Blue and White went on a 5-1 run to build an 18-13 lead, with kills from Avery Myers and Grace Mitchener along with three Stevenson errors. A subsequent 6-1 run extended the Generals' lead to 21-14, but the Mustangs fought back to close within three points. Debiec finished off an assist from Allie Buchholz to make it 24-20, and a Stevenson attacking error sealed a 25-20 first-set win for W&L.
- The Mustangs opened the second set with a 4-2 lead before W&L took a one-point advantage after two Stevenson errors and a kill by Debiec. Following a tie at nine, W&L went on a 4-0 run, with Goerig, Myers, and Mitchener contributing kills for a 13-9 lead. The Mustangs rallied within one, but W&L responded with a 5-1 run that featured three kills from Mitchener and one from Debiec. A Myers kill and a Stevenson attacking error clinched a 25-19 second-set win for the Generals.
- The Blue and White jumped to a six-point lead in the third set, capitalizing on five Stevenson errors and a Penelope Quiles service ace. Stevenson countered with a 4-0 run before Myers halted their momentum with a kill, making it 7-4 in favor of W&L. Stevenson continued to push, using three kills and a service ace to tie the match at 12, but Myers once again stopped the run with a kill. Both teams traded points until Mitchener's kill put the Generals up 24-20, and Buchholz finished the set with an assist from Mitchener to secure W&L's 19th sweep of the season.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mitchener led the match with 13 kills on 32 attempts with zero errors, posting a .406 hitting percentage. She also led the team with 17 digs. Myers and Debiec each contributed double-digit kills in the win.
- Buchholz recorded a match-high 34 assists, marking her 18th match with 30 or more assists, while Makala Thompson led the Mustangs with 14 assists. Vasquez recorded 14 digs in the win, with Myers adding ten.
- Debiec led the match with four blocks, while Buchholz and Goerig each recorded two.
W&L GAME NOTES
- With the two wins, the Blue and White improved to 24-2 on the season with a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play, marking the 12th time in program history they've gone undefeated in conference and the first since 2021.
- Offensively, the Generals recorded 88 kills on 238 attempts with 15 errors for a .370 hitting percentage. They dished out 83 assists across the two matches, recorded six service aces, and tallied 129 digs over six sets, averaging 21.5 per set with ten total blocks.
- Myers and Mitchener led the offense with 24 kills each, with Mitchener posting a .318 hitting percentage. Debiec followed closely with 21 kills on 62 attempts, hitting .258.
- Buchholz distributed 72 assists across the two wins, averaging 12 assists per set with a .393 setting efficiency.
- Mitchener led defensively with 32 digs, averaging 5.33 per set, while Vasquez added 28 digs, averaging 4.67 per set.
UP NEXT
- The Blue and White return to the court on Saturday, Nov. 2 as they travel to Newport News, Va. for a Tri-match at Christopher Newport University. The Generals will take on CNU at Noon before facing off against Marymount at 2 p.m.
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.
