LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team picked up a pair of wins on Saturday as they swept Gettysburg College and Southern Virginia University at the W&L Invitational.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs GETTYSBURG (W&L 3-0 | 25-7, 25-10, 25-19)
- The Generals (5-1) jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set behind a pair of kills from Grace Mitchener and two Gettysburg (6-2) errors. The Bullets responded with three straight points to even the score before W&L rattled off seven unanswered to take an 11-4 advantage. The run featured kills from Emma Mulvaney and Cara Hamil, a Mitchener service ace and a solo block from Mulvaney.
- Following a 3-1 Gettysburg spurt, the Blue and White closed the set with 13 consecutive points to secure a 25-7 win. Hamil tallied three kills during the run, while Mulvaney and Ava Fugitt added two apiece. Mulvaney also recorded a pair of service aces while serving for the entirety of the run.
- The Blue and White carried their momentum into the second set, racing out to a 12-0 lead. Mulvaney fueled the run with four kills, while Mitchener added two and Reese Gilla, Sienna Nichoson and Fugitt each chipped in one. Emily Schellenberg served throughout the opening run and recorded a pair of aces. The teams traded points down the stretch before the Generals closed the frame on a 4-1 run to take the second set, 25-10. Mitchener and Mulvaney recorded back-to-back kills during the closing stretch, while Schellenberg added another service ace.
- W&L once again grabbed an early advantage in the third set, jumping out to an 11-3 lead. Gilla, Mitchener and Mulvaney each recorded kills, while Gilla and Mitchener teamed up for a block and Addi Johnson added a service ace. The Bullets cut the deficit in half before a Hamil kill sparked a 4-1 Generals run, which also featured a block from Hamil and Ava Gaines.
- Gettysburg battled back with five straight points to trim W&L's lead to 17-13, but a pair of Bullets errors and a Mulvaney kill pushed the advantage back to 20-13. Gettysburg responded with a 6-1 run to pull within two before the Blue and White closed out the match with four consecutive points to secure their fourth sweep of the season. Fugitt and Hamil each recorded a kill during the final run, while Gaines and Fugitt teamed up for a block.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mulvaney led all players with a career-high 14 kills on 37 swings for a .297 hitting percentage. Hamil posted seven kills, while Mitchener and Fugitt added six apiece. Sienna Nichoson and Addi Johnson both reached double figures in assists, with Nichoson dishing out 16 and Johnson adding 12. Emma Bradshaw and Eliza Jauregui paced the Gettysburg offense with five kills each.
- Schellenberg recorded a match-high three service aces, while Mulvaney added two and Johnson and Mitchener each tallied one. Vivi Vasquez led all players with 21 digs, while Gettysburg's Nala Shearer paced the Bullets with 17. Mitchener (16), Mulvaney (10) and Nichoson (10) also reached double figures in digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs SOUTHERN VIRGINIA (W&L 3-0 | 25-15, 25-20, 25-18)
- The Generals raced out to an 8-2 lead in the opening set behind kills from Reese Gilla, Grace Mitchener and Emma Mulvaney, along with a Mitchener service ace. An ensuing 7-3 run extended the Blue and White's advantage to 15-6. Mulvaney, Cara Hamil, Ava Gaines and Ava Fugitt each recorded kills during the stretch, while Gaines and Mulvaney teamed up for a block. The teams traded points for the remainder of the frame before W&L closed on a 3-1 run to secure a 25-15 win. Hamil and Gaines each tallied a kill, while Mulvaney added a service ace.
- The Knights (1-4) opened the second set with a 6-2 run before the Blue and White responded with three straight points to pull within one. Hamil and Mitchener each recorded a kill, while Hamil and Gilla combined for a block. Southern Virginia maintained its advantage until a pair of attacking errors and a Vivi Vasquez service ace evened the score at 10. The Knights responded with another run to take a 15-11 lead before a block from Mitchener and Gilla sparked a 6-1 W&L run that put the Generals ahead, 17-16. Mitchener and Gilla each added two kills during the stretch. The Blue and White closed the set on an 8-3 run to earn a 25-20 victory. Hamil fueled the run with three kills, while Mitchener added one. Gaines, Fugitt, Gilla and Mitchener also contributed at the net with block assists.
- The teams traded points early in the third set, with Southern Virginia taking a 5-3 lead before W&L rattled off four straight points to move in front, 7-5. Mulvaney recorded a pair of kills during the run, while Addi Johnson added a service ace. The Knights briefly reclaimed a one-point advantage before the Generals used a 7-1 run to build a five-point lead. Gaines, Mulvaney and Fugitt combined for a pair of blocks during the stretch, while Hamil added a kill.
- A kill from Sienna Nichoson sparked a 5-1 run that extended the Blue and White's lead to 19-11. Mulvaney added two kills during the stretch, while Mitchener chipped in one. Southern Virginia trimmed the deficit to five late in the set before a Knights service error and a Mitchener kill sealed the sweep for the Generals.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mitchener led all players with 11 kills on 31 swings for a .226 hitting percentage while adding a match-high 21 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Hamil also reached double figures with 10 kills on 31 attempts. Anne Downs paced the Knights with eight kills while adding three block assists. Nichoson dished out a team-high 21 assists, while Johnson added 12.
- Vasquez (11) and Mulvaney (10) joined Mitchener in double figures in digs. Mitchener, Vasquez, Mulvaney and Johnson each recorded a service ace. Ryann Vail led the Knights at the net with seven block assists, while Gaines paced the Generals with four block assists and one solo block.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals improved to 5-1 on the season with a pair of wins on Saturday. W&L recorded 79 kills on 240 swings with 29 errors for a .208 hitting percentage across the two matches. The Blue and White also dished out 72 assists while tallying 11 service aces and 14 blocks.
- Emma Mulvaney led the Generals' offense with 23 kills on 56 swings and just five errors for a .321 hitting percentage. Grace Mitchener and Cara Hamil each recorded 17 kills, while Ava Fugitt reached double figures with 10. Sienna Nichoson dished out a team-high 37 assists, while Addi Johnson added 24.
- Mitchener led the defensive effort with 37 digs, averaging 6.17 per set, while Vivi Vasquez added 32 digs for an average of 5.33 per set. Ava Gaines registered four blocks, including one solo block, while Mitchener added three blocks with two solo efforts.
- Mitchener moved into 12th all-time for career kills, moving past Sydney Heifner and Michelle Chastain with 1,132.
UP NEXT
- The Generals kick off conference play on Wednesday evening as they welcome the University of Lynchburg to Holekamp Gym at 7 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.
