LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team heads to Virginia Beach, Va. for the Regional Rounds of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament at Virginia Wesleyan University. Sixty four teams were selected to this year's tournament, with eight regional tournaments happening this weekend all around the country.
Tournament Field: #1 Virginia Wesleyan, #2 Juniata, #3 Christopher Newport, #4 Berry (Ga.), #5 Washington and Lee, #6 SUNY Cortland, #7 Grove City, #8 John Jay
Tournament Schedule
Regional Quarterfinals | Thursday, November 20th
Match #1 | Cortland vs. Christopher Newport | 11:30 a.m.
Match #2 | Grove City vs. Juniata - 2 p.m.
Match #3 | Washington and Lee vs. Berry (Ga.) - 4:30 p.m.
Match #4 | John Jay vs. Virginia Wesleyan - 7 p.m.
Regional Semifinals | Friday, November 21st
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, November 22nd
Match #7 | Winner Match #5 vs. Winner Match #6 - 3 p.m.
Washington and Lee vs Tournament Field:
The Blue and White have faced five teams in the Virginia Beach pod at least once in program history, with the most matchups coming against Christopher Newport and the host institution, Virginia Wesleyan. Washington and Lee and Berry (Ga.) will meet for the 18th time in program history and the third time in the NCAA Tournament.
The Generals and Vikings met just 12 days ago at the Emory National Invitational in Atlanta, Ga., with Berry securing a 3-1 win. The two squads also faced off in the Regional Quarterfinals in 2023 in Mount Berry and in 2013 in Atlanta, with the Vikings winning both contests. Since their first meeting in 2010, the Generals have defeated Berry three times, with their most recent win coming in the 2024 season opener at the Berry Kick-Off Tournament.
Juniata and W&L have met seven times since their first contest in 2008, most recently in 2024, when the Eagles swept the Generals in straight sets. Juniata has won all seven match ups between the two programs. W&L faced John Jay for the first time in last season's Regional Quarterfinals, where the Blue and White defeated the Bloodhounds in straight sets.
The Captains of Christopher Newport are W&L's most frequent opponent, with 42 total meetings since 1990 — including two match ups this season. CNU won both contests in 2025, earning a four-set victory in Lexington and a sweep in Newport News. The Generals had previously won both 2024 meetings at CNU, with the final sweep securing W&L's first Regional Championship in program history and a trip to the National Quarterfinals.
The Blue and White and the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan have met 41 times in program history, with W&L holding a 35-6 advantage. The Generals have won four of the last five match ups, including an upset victory over the top-seeded Marlins in the ODAC semifinals on Nov. 13 in Virginia Beach. The two teams first met in 2002, with W&L winning 20 straight matches in the early years of the rivalry, later adding a 10-match winning streak from 2016 to 2021.
Washington and Lee in the NCAA Tournament:
The Generals are making their third consecutive and 18th overall trip to the NCAA Tournament. W&L holds a 10-16 record in the big dance, with their most wins coming last season when they dropped only one set in the Regional Rounds on their way to capturing the first Regional Championship in program history, before falling to Hope College in the National Quarterfinals in Salem, Va. Last year marked just the second time in program history that the Blue and White reached the Regional Finals, and the first since 2006, when they fell to Stevens in four sets.
In the rankings:
Three teams in the Virginia Beach pod are ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25, with Juniata ranked the highest at No. 8. Virginia Wesleyan follows closely behind at No. 15, while Berry (Ga.) rounds out the ranked teams at No. 16. Both Christopher Newport and Washington and Lee are also receiving votes in the poll.
2025 All-ODAC Teams:
Three Generals were named to the 2025 All-ODAC teams following their performances during the regular season, while
Riley Debiec was named the Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year — marking the second-straight year that a General has earned the distinction, as
Avery Myers '25 was named the recipient of the award last season.
In addition to her Scholar-Athlete award, Debiec picked up her third-straight citation after being named a First Team selection for the first time in her career. Juniors Grace Mitchener and Vivi Vasquez joined Debiec on the First Team to round out W&L's selections. Mitchener garnered her third citation and second-straight First Team nod, while Vasquez was selected to the First Team for the second consecutive season.
About the Generals:
The Generals are riding a three-match winning streak into the NCAA Tournament, earning the ODAC's automatic qualifier after lifting their third-straight and league-best 21st ODAC Championship. Washington and Lee holds a 23-9 overall record while wrapping up the conference slate with an 8-3 record to secure the fourth seed in the conference tournament. They knocked off Shenandoah University in the ODAC Quarterfinals, 3-0, before traveling to Virginia Beach to defeat 14th-ranked and top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan in a thrilling five-set match to return to the title match. They then traveled to Bridgewater College for the finals, downing the Eagles in four sets to head back to the big dance for the third-straight season.
The Generals' offense is spearheaded by senior Riley Debiec, junior Grace Mitchener, and first-year Cara Hamil, who have combined for 904 of the team's 1,338 kills (67%) this season. Mitchener leads the trio with 374 kills on 1,189 swings for a .230 hitting percentage. Debiec follows closely behind with 333 kills and a .275 hitting percentage, while Hamil has added 197 kills. Sophomore Emily Schellenberg has also surpassed 100 kills on the season, contributing 112 to the attack. First-year Sienna Nichoson has orchestrated the offense this season, dishing out a team-high 705 assists, while sophomore Addi Johnson has added 233 assists. The Blue and White have found ways to score at the service line as well, registering 194 aces this season, with Mitchener leading the squad with 34. Schellenberg (29), Nichoson (27), Penelope Quiles (21), Vivi Vasquez (19), and Debiec (15) have all reached double-digit service aces.
Defensively, the Blue and White are anchored by junior Vivi Vasquez, who leads the team with 572 digs this season — a mark that ranks fifth in single-season program history. She also ranks 21st in Division III this season in total digs and 26th in digs per set with 5.30. The Generals have four players with 200 or more digs this season, with Mitchener (372) and Schellenberg (313) each surpassing 300. W&L ranks third in Division III in digs per set with 20.46 and holds the sixth-most digs in the nation this season with 2,251. As a team, W&L has registered 161 blocks this season, with senior Emery Goerig leading the charge with 53. Debiec follows with 49, while Mitchener and senior Ryan Taylor have each recorded 30.
About Berry College (Ga.):
Berry secured their spot in the NCAA Tournament after earning the Southern Athletic Association's (SAA) automatic qualifier with a straight-sets win over No. 8 Trinity (Texas) on Nov. 15, marking their fifth-straight conference title. The Vikings are heading into the tournament with a 24-7 record, holding a perfect 11-0 mark in neutral site matches while boasting a 9-2 record on their home floor.
The Vikings' offense is led by Madie Whitehead, Keira Kruk, and Lura Underwood, who have combined for 965 kills as a trio this season. Whitehead spearheads the offense with 403 kills on 1,029 swings for a .253 hitting percentage, while Kruk has recorded 304 and Underwood has added 258. Ava Brovet has set the trio up for success, dishing out 1,045 assists this season, which ranks 23rd in the country and averages 9.68 per set. Berry has found considerable success at the service line, registering 263 aces, with Underwood leading the charge with a team-high 61. Six other players have 20 or more aces this season.
Andrea Hurt is the leader on defense, registering a team-high 491 digs this season, while Whitehead (231), Brovet (223), Kruk (220), and Underwood (211) have all eclipsed 200 digs. As a team, the Vikings have tallied 232 blocks this season, with Blakley Barnes and Cali Armstead both recording 100 or more. Barnes leads the team with 105 blocks, while Armstead follows closely behind with 103.
Career Accomplishments:
Mitchener and Debiec have both reached career milestones this season with the Blue and White. Debiec became the 14th player in program history to surpass 1,000 kills on Sept. 20 in their match against Lynchburg with her 24-kill performance. She currently ranks ninth in program history with 1,229 and needs only eight kills to move past Laura Maurer '09.
Mitchener surpassed a pair of milestones, becoming the eighth player in program history to surpass 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. She reached the digs milestone on Oct. 25 in a sweep of Shenandoah after registering 15 digs, and she surpassed 1,000 career kills at the Emory National Invitational with 32 combined kills in their matches against Emory and Ithaca. She ranks 14th in program history with 1,140 digs and 15th in kills with 1,063.
Head coach Bryan Snyder '95 picked up his 700th career win on Sept. 13 following straight-set wins over Franklin & Marshall and Keystone. The milestone made him the 25th head coach in Division III women's volleyball to surpass the mark. He ranks sixth among active head coaches with 714 wins.
Tickets: No online tickets will be sold for the Regional Rounds at VWU. Tickets can be purchased 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.
