Wash. & Lee WLU 35-3,12-0 ODAC

Hope Hope 29-2,8-0 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

Wash. & Lee WLU

35-3,12-0 ODAC

Final

Dec. 04, 2024

Hope Hope

29-2,8-0 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	F
Wash. & Lee WLU	21	22	20	(0)
Hope Hope	25	25	25	(3)

Summary
Box Score

Sideline Media

Game Recap: Volleyball | 12/5/2024 12:36:00 AM

No. 11 Women’s Volleyball’s Historic Season Concludes in the NCAA Quarterfinals

SALEM, Va. - The 11th-ranked Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team's historic season came to close on Wednesday night after falling to No. 2 Hope College in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs #2 HOPE (Hope, 3-0 | 21-25, 22-25, 20-25)

The Flying Dutch (29-2) kicked off the match with a pair of kills by Alison DeWeerd, taking an early 2-1 lead. Riley Debiec and Grace Mitchener responded with back-to-back kills, giving the Generals (35-3) a one point advantage. The set remained tight, with neither team able to gain more than a one-point lead until the Generals rattled off three straight points to pull ahead 15-13. Debiec and Mitchener teamed up again for another pair of kills, followed by a Hope attacking error that capped off the Blue and White's run. However, the Flying Dutch answered with a 6-2 run, reclaiming the lead at 19-17 with contributions from Annie Lockett and Addie VanderWeide, as well as a service ace by Samantha Seib. Despite two straight kills by Debiec that cut the deficit to three, Kamryn Burbridge closed out the set with a decisive kill, securing a 25-21 win for the Flying Dutch in the opening frame.
The Blue and White started strong in the second set, taking a 3-1 lead with kills by Emery Goerig and Avery Myers, along with a Penelope Quiles service ace. After Hope tied the match at four, the Generals went on a 3-1 run, highlighted by kills from Debiec and Allie Buchholz, to pull ahead 7-5. The teams traded leads until Myers sparked a 7-2 run with a kill. The run included another kill from Myers and four blocks by Debiec and Buchholz, giving the Blue and White a 17-13 lead. However, Hope quickly erased the deficit, rallying with four unanswered points to even the score at 19. The Flying Dutch then closed out the set with a 4-1 run to secure a 25-22 victory, taking a two-set lead.
In the third set, W&L opened with a 4-2 run, fueled by a kill from Debiec and three errors by the Flying Dutch. Goerig capitalized on a Buchholz assist to push the Generals ahead 7-5, but Hope countered with a three-point swing to take the lead. The Flying Dutch extended their advantage with a 5-1 run, highlighted by three kills from VanderWeide and one from Burbridge, making it 14-11. Hope's lead would only expand as they widened the gap to 19-14 with additional kills from Lockett and Fox. Although the Generals trailed 21-15, they battled back with a Quiles service ace and a kill from Debiec, cutting the deficit to two and forcing a Hope timeout. The timeout worked in the Flying Dutch's favor, as they scored the final three points to close out the match and secure a straight-sets victory.

GAME NOTES

The Blue and White recorded 35 kills on 115 attempts, resulting in a .183 hitting percentage, including an impressive .286 percentage in the first set. W&L added two service aces, four blocks, 53 digs, and dished out 35 assists in the match.
The Flying Dutch tallied 56 kills on 133 attempts for a match-high .308 hitting percentage, surpassing .300 in both the first set (.304) and the third set (.318). Hope led the match with four service aces, five blocks, 53 assists, and 60 digs.
Addie VanderWeide of Hope topped the match with 17 kills on 37 attempts, achieving an impressive .351 hitting percentage. Teammates Annie Lockett and Alison DeWeerd each contributed 12 kills for the Flying Dutch.
Riley Debiec led the Generals with 11 kills on 27 attempts, posting a .296 hitting percentage. Grace Mitchener added 10 kills on 35 attempts, finishing with a .200 hitting percentage.
Lauren Lee dished out a match-high 45 assists for Hope, marking her 11th match this season with 40 or more assists. Allie Buchholz paced the Blue and White with 32 assists, marking her 28th overall and sixth consecutive match with 30 or more assists.
Defensively, Vivi Vasquez and Samantha Seib each recorded a match-high 17 digs for Hope. Buchholz, Debiec, and DeWeerd led the match with three total blocks apiece, while Annie Lockett and Kamryn Burbridge each tallied two for the Flying Dutch. Penelope Quiles led all players with two service aces, while four Hope players each contributed one.

END OF SEASON NOTES

The Generals concluded their season with an impressive 35-3 overall record, tying the 2003 squad for the most wins in program history. Their .921 winning percentage ranks fourth in program history, while the team competed in the third-most matches in a single season. They also achieved the most wins in a single NCAA Tournament run in program history, matching the 2015 Randolph-Macon as the only teams to win three matches in the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, the Blue and White set a new program record for digs in a single season with 2,630, surpassing the 2006 team's mark of 2,625.
The Blue and White's historic season was filled with accomplishments, including winning their 20th Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship, their first Regional Championship, and making their debut appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. W&L achieved their highest ranking in program history, checking in at No. 11 in the final regular season American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. The Blue and White were ranked for ten straight weeks as well.
W&L set a program record for All-Region selections with four and claimed two of the three major awards for Region 6. Vivi Vasquez was named Player of the Year, becoming the first General to earn this distinction, while head coach Bryan Snyder '95 was honored as Region 6 Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
Buchholz, Vasquez, and Mitchener earned Second Team All-American honors from the AVCA, while Myers received an Honorable Mention nod. These selections marked the most All-America citations in a single-season in program history.
Several players achieved significant milestones this season. Vasquez became the 18th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career digs, ranking 16th in career digs with 1,074. She set single-game and single-season program records with 42 digs in a five set win over Carnegie Mellon while registering 679 digs during her sophomore season. Mitchener also set a single match record for attack attempts, taking 83 swings in their win over CMU.
Buchholz also surpassed the 1,000 career digs mark while becoming the seventh player in program history to record 2,000 career assists. She concluded her career ranked fourth all-time in career assists (2,609), 11th in career digs (1,388), and tied for third in career sets played (471).
Head coach Bryan Snyder '95 celebrated his 650th career win at W&L during the team's 3-0 victory over CNU in the Regional Championship. Over 25 seasons, Snyder has led the Blue and White to a 650-205 record (.760) and boasts an overall record of 691-230 (.750) in 27 seasons. He currently ranks seventh among active Division III head coaches and 28th all-time.