LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team swept their way through the second day of the W&L Invitational, taking down St. Mary's College of Maryland and Southern Virginia University in straight sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs ST. MARY'S (Md.) (W&L, 3-0 | 25-15, 25-18, 25-17)
- After a back-and-forth start to the first set, the Generals (6-0) gained momentum with kills from Grace Mitchener and Caroline Natwick, initiating a three-point swing. The Blue and White extended their lead to 18-10 late in the set, capitalizing on four errors by the Seahawks and an Avery Myers kill. Lexie Stone sealed the first set, finishing off a Turi Trainor assist, giving the Generals a 25-15 victory.
- The Seahawks (3-3) responded in the second set, jumping out to a 9-5 lead following back-to-back kills by Kaleigh Wiseman. However, W&L went on a 9-1 run, taking a 19-12 lead. The run included two service aces from Myers and kills from Allie Buchholz and Allison Young. Back-to-back kills from Riley Debiec brought the Generals to a 24-18 lead, and a St. Mary's attacking error secured the set, putting the Generals up 2-0.
- In the third set, the Blue and White quickly took a 9-5 lead with kills from Mitchener, Myers, and Ryan Taylor. W&L then went on a 6-1 run late in the set, taking a 22-14 lead. The run featured kills from Myers and Emery Goerig, along with a service ace from Buchholz. Mitchener secured the 3-0 sweep with a final kill off a Buchholz assist, closing the third set at 25-17.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Avery Myers and Grace Mitchener each recorded double-doubles in the win, both tallying ten kills. Mitchener also dug out 13 attacks, while Myers recorded 12 digs. St. Mary's Julia Bobrowski led the Seahawks with eight kills.
- Allie Buchholz led all players with 22 assists and also dug out 11 attacks. Lauren Panageotou led the Seahawks with 20 assists.
- Vivi Vasquez posted a match-high 18 digs in the win. Mitchener, Myers, and Buchholz all recorded double-digit digs in the match. Stella Marrero and Bobrowski led the Seahawks with 16 digs each.
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HOW IT HAPPENED vs SOUTHERN VIRGINIA (W&L, 3-0 | 25-7, 25-14, 25-12)
- The first set was dominated by the Generals, who rattled off seven straight points, including three service aces from Allie Buchholz and three kills from Avery Myers. The Blue and White extended their lead to 19-3, fueled by five kills from Myers, Riley Debiec, and Grace Mitchener, along with a service ace from Vivi Vasquez. An Alyssah McGuire kill and a block by Emery Goerig and Myers capped off a commanding 25-7 victory in the first set.
- In the second set, W&L built a 13-5 advantage after Myers finished off three consecutive assists from Buchholz. The Blue and White took a two-set lead after Myers recorded three more kills, securing a 25-14 win.
- In the third set, after falling behind 2-1, the Blue and White responded with five straight points to take a 6-2 lead, thanks to two kills from Goerig and a Myers service ace. Penelope Quiles then sparked a 7-0 run with two service aces, giving the Generals a 15-5 lead late in the set. Another five-point surge put W&L up 20-7, and two Knight service errors secured the sweep for the Generals.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Avery Myers led all players with a match-high 14 kills on 29 attempts, achieving a .448 hitting percentage. Grace Mitchener recorded 10 kills on 22 attempts, posting a .364 hitting percentage. SVU's Sydney Bassett led the Knights with 9 kills on 26 attempts for a .154 hitting percentage.
- Allie Buchholz led all players with 30 assists while also digging out 11 attacks. Ruby Blamires posted a team-high 16 assists for the Knights.
- Mitchener and Vivi Vasquez each recorded double-digit digs, with 13 and 12, respectively. Grace Fulton dug out 13 attacks for the Knights.
W&L GAME NOTES
- Grace Mitchener led the offensive charge with 39 kills on 92 attempts, achieving a .326 hitting percentage and averaging 4.33 kills per set across three matches. Avery Myers recorded 37 kills over three matches, averaging 4.11 kills per set.
- Allie Buchholz dished out 87 assists across the three matches, averaging 9.67 assists per set, while also leading the team with five service aces.
- Vivi Vasquez led the team with 41 digs over the weekend, averaging 4.56 digs per set. Ryan Taylor recorded 13 total blocks across the three matches, including seven against Southern Virginia.
W&L INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Grace Mitchener | W&L
- Allie Buchholz | W&L
- Sydney Bassett | Southern Virginia
- Emily Flamm | Mary Washington
- Erin Gray | Averett
- Julia Bobrowski | St. Mary's College of Maryland
UP NEXT
- The Blue and White kick off Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play on Tuesday, Sept. 10 as they travel to Hollins University for a 6:30 p.m. match.
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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.
