LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team secured their 16th sweep of the season in their final Old Dominon Athletic Conference (ODAC) road match of the season as they defeated Guilford College in straight sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED (W&L, 3-0 | 25-12, 27-25, 25-13)
- Both teams traded points to open the first frame before the Generals (18-3, 10-1 ODAC) scored four unanswered points to take a 10-6 lead, fueled by kills from Emma Mulvaney and Claire Hargett and a block from Mulvaney and Ava Gaines. Following a service error, the Blue and White went on a 6-1 run to extend their lead to 16-8. The run featured kills from Cara Hamil, Grace Mitchener and Hargett, a service ace from Hargett and a block from the duo of Gaines and Hargett. A 3-1 run from the Quakers (7-19, 3-8 ODAC) cut the deficit to six before W&L closed the set on an 8-1 run to claim a 25-12 victory in the opening frame. The final scoring stretch was highlighted by a pair of kills and a service ace from Hamil, while Mulvaney, Stephanie Lynch and Hargett each added a kill.
- The Generals jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the second set, fueled by a pair of kills from Gaines and one from Mitchener. Guilford responded with a 4-1 run to take a one-point lead before four unanswered points from W&L, including a pair of service aces from Mitchener, put the Blue and White back in front, 9-6. After the Quakers tied the set at nine, W&L went on a 7-1 run to extend its lead to six. The scoring stretch featured two kills and a solo block from Hargett, two additional blocks from Gaines and Mulvaney and kills from Mulvaney and Hamil. The Quakers responded with a 7-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to one before using another 6-2 scoring stretch to take a 23-21 lead. Following a kill from Aleigh Williams, the Generals battled back with a 5-1 run to claim the second set, 27-25. The final scoring stretch featured a pair of kills from Hargett, along with a block and two kills from Mitchener and Gaines.
- The Blue and White opened the third set on an 8-2 run, highlighted by a pair of service aces from Hargett and two kills each from Gaines and Mulvaney. W&L extended its lead to 15 following a lengthy 13-2 run that featured two kills each from Mulvaney and Hamil, a pair of service aces from Mitchener and a block from Hamil and Reese Gilla. The Quakers used a 3-1 run to make it 20-7 in favor of W&L before an ensuing 3-1 scoring stretch, featuring kills from Hargett and Sienna Nichoson, gave the Generals a 24-9 advantage. Guilford rattled off four consecutive points before Gaines recorded the final kill of the afternoon to secure a 25-13 victory and the sweep.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Claire Hargett and Chrisbel Alcantara led the match with 10 kills each, with Hargett posting a .435 hitting percentage without committing an error. She also added three service aces, two blocks and five digs. Ava Gaines recorded a career-high nine kills on 12 attempts for an impressive .750 hitting percentage.
- Addison Evans dished out a match-high 18 assists in the win, while Sienna Nichoson added 15. Lacie Evans and Jillian Maples paced the Quakers with 14 assists each.
- Grace Mitchener registered a career- and match-high six service aces in the victory, while Jayanna Spurgeon led Guilford with two. At the net, Gaines led the match with five block assists and one solo block, while Emma Mulvaney added three block assists. Aleigh Williams and Angel Brown teamed up for a block for the Quakers.
- Sheryangelis Cay Barbosa led the match with 15 digs, while Mitchener added 11 and Vivi Vasquez registered nine.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals recorded their 16th sweep of the season to improve to 18-3 overall with a 10-1 mark in ODAC play. The victory also marked their ninth conference sweep of the season and third consecutive sweep. W&L has now won seven straight matches against the Quakers, improving to 43-9 in the all-time series.
- W&L recorded 43 kills on 98 attempts with just nine errors for an impressive .347 hitting percentage. The Blue and White hit .471 without committing an attack error in the opening set before posting a .375 hitting percentage in the third and final frame. The Generals added 11 service aces, nine blocks, 40 assists and 51 digs in the win.
- Defensively, W&L limited Guilford to a .175 hitting percentage while forcing 15 attack errors. The Generals held the Quakers to a .143 hitting percentage in both the second and third sets.
UP NEXT
- The Generals return to Holekamp for the final time in the regular season on Wednesday night as they take on Roanoke College in their conference finale at 6:30 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.
