LEXINGTON, Va. - The 11th-ranked Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team heads to Newport News, Va. for the Regional Rounds of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament at Christopher Newport University.
Tournament Field: #1 Washington and Lee, #2 East Texas Baptist, #3 Christopher Newport, #4 Stevens, #5 Gallaudet, #6 William Paterson, #7 Allegheny, #8 John Jay
Tournament Schedule:
Regional Quarterfinals | Thursday, Nov. 21
Match 1 | Stevens vs Gallaudet - 11:30 p.m.
Match 2 | Washington and Lee vs. John Jay - 2 p.m.
Match 3 | East Texas Baptist vs. Allegheny - 4:30 p.m.
Match 4 | Christopher Newport vs. William Paterson - 7 p.m.
Regional Semifinals | Friday, Nov. 22
Match 5 | Winner Match #1 vs Winner Match #2 - 4:30 p.m.
Match 6 | Winner Match #3 vs Winner Match #4 - 7 p.m.
Regional Championship | Saturday, Nov. 23
Match 7 | Winner Match #5 vs Winner Match #6 - 5 p.m.
Washington and Lee vs Tournament Field: The Blue and White have faced four teams in the Newport News pod at least once in program history, with the most meetings against the host institution, Christopher Newport University. Washington and Lee and John Jay will meet for the first time in program history on Thursday afternoon.
East Texas Baptist and the Generals have met twice, with their most recent match up occurring in 2003 at the Emory Invitational, where W&L defeated the Tigers 3-1. W&L and Gallaudet have faced each other seven times since 1989, with their most recent meeting in 2014, when the Generals earned a 3-1 victory over the Bison.
The Generals and the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology have met only once, in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2006 NCAA Division III Tournament. The Ducks defeated the Generals in four sets in Hoboken, N.J., during W&L's first appearance in that round.
The Captains of CNU are W&L's most frequent opponent in the pod, with 39 meetings dating back to their first match up in 1990, including two encounters this season. The Generals initially dominated the series, winning the first ten match ups, but have not managed to string together a winning streak against the Captains since then. Prior to their November 11 match up this year, the Captains had a ten-match winning streak, including a victory over the then No. 14-ranked Generals in Lexington. However, W&L snapped that streak with a straight-sets win, marking their first victory over CNU since 2013.
Washington and Lee in the NCAA Tournament: This year marks the program's 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and the third in the past four years. The Blue and White have not won an opening-round match since 2010, when they defeated Mount St. Joseph in four sets in Atlanta, Ga. The team's most successful NCAA Tournament run came in 2006, when they advanced to the Regional Championship with victories over Vassar (3-1) and NYU (3-2) before falling to Stevens (3-1) in the Sweet Sixteen.
In the rankings: Only two of the eight teams in the pod are ranked with the Tigers of East Texas Baptist moving up one spot in the final installment of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 to No. 8. The Blue and White are ranked for the tenth straight week, moving up one spot to No. 11 – their highest ranking in program history.
2024 All-ODAC Teams: Five Generals were named to the 2024 All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) teams following their standout performances during the regular season, with the team also claiming three of the four major awards. Senior
Allie Buchholz was honored as the conference's Player of the Year, becoming the first General to earn the distinction since
Sydney Heifner '24 in 2022. Buchholz was also selected to the First Team for the second consecutive season. Senior
Avery Myers earned her first All-ODAC recognition with a First Team selection and was also named the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Sophomores
Grace Mitchener and
Vivi Vasquez rounded out the First Team honorees for the Blue and White. Mitchener collected her second All-ODAC award after earning Third Team honors last season, while Vasquez received her first career recognition.
Junior Riley Debiec completed the Generals' All-Conference selections, earning her second consecutive Second Team All-ODAC citation. Head coach Bryan Snyder '95 capped off the major awards by securing his 12th Coach of the Year honor. Under his leadership, the Blue and White achieved a 32-2 overall record, including a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play—the 11th time they have gone undefeated in the ODAC during Snyder's tenure and the 12th time in program history. Snyder also guided the Generals to their fourth ODAC Championship in the last five years and their 20th overall. The Generals locked up the ODAC's automatic qualifier, making their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
About the Generals: The 11th-ranked Generals are riding a 13-game winning streak as they head into their second consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Blue and White defeated Averett (3-0) and Lynchburg (3-0) to secure their spot in the ODAC Championship, where they claimed their 20th conference title in program history with a thrilling five-set victory over second-seeded Virginia Wesleyan. After falling behind 2-1 following a third-set loss, W&L battled back, winning the final two sets 25-21 and 15-12. The Generals boast an impressive 32-2 record this season, with one of their losses coming against top-ranked and two-time defending national champions, Juniata College.
Washington and Lee's offense is powered by Avery Myers, Grace Mitchener, and Riley Debiec, who together account for 1,120 of the team's 1,566 kills (71%). Senior captain Avery Myers leads the team with 412 kills on 1,281 attempts and a .234 hitting percentage. Mitchener follows closely with 396 kills, while Debiec has recorded back-to-back 300-kill seasons, totaling 312 so far this year. This trio is the first to achieve 300 or more kills in a season since Rachael Phillips, Laura Maurer, and Jessica Hudock in 2007. Allie Buchholz orchestrates the Generals' offense, dishing out 1,122 assists this season—her second consecutive year surpassing 1,000 assists. Buchholz's assist total ranks 11th in Division III this season.
Vivi Vasquez has been a standout on the back line, leading the team and ranking 21st in Division III with 611 digs. She has a .946 reception percentage on 538 attempts, committing just 29 errors in serve receive. Mitchener, Buchholz, and Myers have each contributed over 300 digs this season as well. Middle blocker Emery Goerig has been a force at the net, registering 71 blocks, including six solo stops. Offensively, she has also made an impact, recording 146 kills on 325 attempts for a team- and conference-best .391 hitting percentage.
About John Jay: The Bloodhounds are making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history after winning their first City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) title with a victory over top-seeded Hunter College. John Jay enters the NCAA Tournament on a ten-game winning streak and holds a 22-6 overall record.
Josanne Lewis leads the offense with 281 kills this season, while Reilly Cata, Julia Stuart, and Madison Reyes each have over 100 kills. Meghan Smith has been the primary setter for the Bloodhounds, recording 663 assists this season, averaging 8.72 per set. Kristin Gretener and Malia Reyes lead the team with 36 service aces, while three other Bloodhounds have 30 or more aces.
Lewis also leads the team in digs with 251, while Gretener, Smith, and Cata each have over 200 this season. Paige Sadowitz tops the defensive stats with 59 total blocks, including 11 solo blocks. Madison Reyes is close behind with 44 blocks this season.
Career Accomplishments: Allie Buchholz surpassed two significant milestones this season, becoming the 17th player in program history to record over 1,000 career digs during a 3-1 win over Sewanee on opening weekend. She now ranks 11th all-time in career digs with 1,338. Buchholz also joined the 2,000-assists club earlier this year after recording 35 assists in a 3-0 win over Randolph. She currently ranks 4th all-time in career assists with 2,460.
Vivi Vasquez needed only two seasons to break into the 1,000-digs club, becoming the 18th player in program history to achieve the milestone after recording 33 digs in the ODAC Championship match against Virginia Wesleyan. She ranks 17th all-time in career digs with 1,006.
Tickets: No online tickets will be sold for the Regional Rounds at CNU. Tickets can be purchased at the Freeman Center Box Office one hour prior to each match.
How to Watch:
Live Video |
Live Stats |
NCAA Bracket |
Tournament Program
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.
