LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University volleyball team wrapped up Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play with a straight sets win over Roanoke College on Wednesday evening inside Holekamp Gym.
HOW IT HAPPENED (W&L, 3-0 | 25-12, 27-25, 25-13)
- The Blue and White (19-3, 11-1 ODAC) opened the match with a 10-2 run to take an early lead. The run was fueled by a kill and service ace from Claire Hargett, two kills apiece from Grace Mitchener and Cara Hamil, and one from Emma Mulvaney. Following a W&L service error, Hamil sparked an 11-1 run with a kill to put the Generals ahead, 21-4. The lengthy scoring stretch featured two service aces from Hamil, kills from Mulvaney and Stephanie Lynch, and a block from the duo of Hamil and Lynch. Kaci Morrison halted the run with a kill before the Generals closed the set on a 4-1 run to secure a 25-6 victory. The final scoring stretch featured a kill from Hargett and a block from Ava Gaines and Hargett.
- W&L opened the second set with a block from Gaines and Mulvaney and a service ace from Sienna Nichoson before the Maroons (14-9, 5-6 ODAC) rattled off three consecutive kills to take a one-point lead. The Generals responded with six unanswered points to take an 8-3 advantage, highlighted by a kill and service ace from Mulvaney and kills from Mitchener, Hargett and Gaines. Both teams traded points before W&L used a 6-2 run to extend its lead to 16-8. Mulvaney recorded a pair of kills, while Hargett and Mitchener added one apiece and Lynch blocked a Kaci Morrison attack. Following more back-and-forth action, the Generals closed the set on a 3-1 run to claim a 25-16 victory. Hargett recorded the lone kill of the run, while the Maroons committed a pair of errors.
- Roanoke jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the third set before the Blue and White responded with a 7-1 run of their own. The scoring stretch featured two kills from Hamil, one from Mitchener and a block from Hamil and Gaines. Following a service error, a kill from Mitchener sparked a 12-1 run to give the Generals a commanding 20-7 lead. The lengthy run also featured kills from Lynch, Hamil and Mulvaney, while Hamil added a service ace. Zarah Love halted the run with a kill before the Blue and White closed the set on a 5-2 run to secure the sweep. Lynch, Hargett and Reese Gilla recorded kills, while Nichoson added a service ace during the final scoring stretch.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Claire Hargett led the offensive effort with a match-high 10 kills on 25 attempts with just one error for a .360 hitting percentage while adding a service ace and a block assist. Zarah Love and Gracelynn Clark paced the Maroons with five kills apiece.
- Sienna Nichoson dished out a match-high 14 assists in the win, while Addison Evans added 13. Raygan Wade led Roanoke with 13 assists, while Abby Bishop chipped in eight.
- Cara Hamil recorded three service aces, while Nichoson added a pair. Hargett and Emma Mulvaney each registered an ace in the win. Wade recorded the lone service ace for the Maroons.
- Stephanie Lynch led the match with two solo blocks and two block assists. Hamil and Ava Gaines each added three block assists, while Gaines also recorded a solo block.
- Vivi Vasquez and Teagan Hubble tied for the match high with 20 digs apiece, while Abby Bishop and Payten Johnston each reached double figures with 12 digs for the Maroons. Evans also reached double digits, recording 11 digs in the win for the Blue and White.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals secured their 17th sweep of the season, improving to 19-3 overall. W&L wrapped up its ODAC slate with an 11-1 record, dropping just five sets while recording 10 sweeps in conference play. The victory also marked the Generals' fourth consecutive win and 13th straight victory over the Maroons, improving their all-time series record to 49-7.
- W&L registered 36 kills on 116 attempts with just three errors for a .284 hitting percentage while hitting above .300 in both the first (.345) and second (.325) sets. The Blue and White also recorded seven service aces, eight blocks, 31 assists and 66 digs.
- Defensively, the Generals held the Maroons to a -.041 hitting percentage overall, forcing 28 attacking errors while limiting Roanoke to negative hitting percentages in both the first (-.212) and third (-.041) sets.
TOP TEN UPDATES
- Grace Mitchener moved past Meg Guignon '19 to No. 6 in program history for career kills with 1,300. She is the sixth player in program history to eclipse 1,300 kills during their career.
UP NEXT
- The Generals hit the road on Saturday as they travel to Newport News, Va. for a pair of matches at Christopher Newport University. The Blue and White will take on Salisbury University at 11 a.m. followed by their second match up against the Captains at 2 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.
