GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Washington and Lee University women's volleyball team scored a pair of wins on the first day of their three-match road trip to the Buckeye State as they swept Franciscan University and Denison University.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs FRANCISCAN (W&L 3-0 | 25-19, 25-15, 25-13)
- Both teams traded points early in the opening set before a Franciscan (1-2) service error and an ace from Grace Mitchener gave the Generals (3-0) a 4-3 lead. The Barons responded by rattling off four straight points to take a 7-4 advantage. An ensuing 4-1 run from the Blue and White knotted the set at eight behind kills from Ava Fugitt, Ava Gaines and Emma Mulvaney. Franciscan scored back-to-back points to take a two-point lead before W&L used a 9-3 scoring stretch to move in front, 19-14. The run featured a pair of kills from Fugitt and Cara Hamil, one each from Mitchener and Gaines, as well as another service ace from Mitchener. Mitchener recorded a kill before teaming up with Reese Gilla for a block to secure a 25-19 first-set win.
- The Generals opened the second set with a 5-1 run behind three kills from Mitchener and one each from Mulvaney and Gilla. Franciscan responded with three straight points before the Blue and White rattled off seven unanswered to take a 12-4 lead. The lengthy run featured two kills from Mulvaney, one from Hamil and a solo block from Mitchener. The Barons cut the deficit to four late in the set, but three Franciscan errors and a kill from Mulvaney extended W&L's lead to 20-12. The Blue and White closed the frame on a 5-2 run to claim the second set, 25-15.
- After falling behind 3-1 in the third set, W&L used an 8-2 run to take a 9-5 lead behind kills from Mulvaney, Gilla and Hamil. The teams traded points before a Mulvaney kill sparked a 9-2 run that put the Generals in front, 22-12. The scoring stretch featured three kills from Hamil and a pair from Mitchener. A W&L service error halted the run, but a pair of Franciscan errors and a kill from Mitchener secured the Generals' second sweep of the season.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mitchener led all players with 14 kills on 27 attempts with just one error for an impressive .481 hitting percentage. She secured her second double-double of the season after recording 20 digs while adding two service aces and a solo block. Mulvaney and Hamil each recorded 11 kills in the win, with Mulvaney posting a .455 hitting percentage after committing just one error on 22 attempts.
- Addi Johnson led the setting duo with 19 assists, while Sienna Nichoson dished out 17. Vivi Vasquez posted a match-high 23 digs in the win while adding two assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs DENISON (W&L 3-0, 25-12, 25-14, 25-22)
- The Generals came out firing in the opening frame, using a 9-1 run that featured three kills apiece from Mitchener and Mulvaney, as well as a slew of errors from the Big Red (1-2). The teams traded points before W&L's lead grew to nine following a 5-2 run that saw Mulvaney and Fugitt record kills and Hamil register a solo block. The Generals and Big Red went back and forth throughout the remainder of the set before Mitchener recorded the final kill to give W&L a 25-14 first-set win.
- Similar to the opening frame, the Blue and White jumped out to an early lead with a 6-2 run behind a pair of service aces and a kill from Emily Schellenberg, while Mitchener and Gilla each added a kill. A Mulvaney kill extended the Generals' lead to four before the Big Red responded with a 7-1 run to take a 12-10 advantage. W&L answered Denison's run with a 9-3 scoring stretch fueled by a pair of kills and two solo blocks from Mulvaney. Denison stuffed a W&L attack to briefly halt the momentum, but the Generals closed the frame on a 6-3 run to secure a 25-19 second-set victory.
- Denison opened the third set with an 11-5 run before a Hamil kill kick-started a 6-1 response from the Blue and White. Mitchener and Fugitt added kills, while Sienna Nichoson recorded a pair of service aces and Gilla and Fugitt teamed up for a block. The Big Red answered with a 5-2 run of their own to reclaim an 18-15 lead before W&L battled back to take a 20-19 advantage behind two kills from Hamil and one apiece from Fugitt and Johnson. The Generals secured their third consecutive sweep of the season by closing the set on a 5-2 run fueled by three kills from Mitchener.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mitchener and Mulvaney both reached double-digit kills for the Blue and White in the second match of the evening. Mitchener registered 14 kills on 46 swings with just one error for a .283 hitting percentage, while Mulvaney recorded 11 kills on 23 swings with two errors for a .391 clip.
- Nichoson dished out a match-high 23 assists in the win while adding a pair of service aces. Johnson added nine assists, while Vasquez registered five. Vasquez posted a match-high 21 digs in the win, while Mitchener recorded her third double-double of the season after adding 13 digs. Schellenberg also dug out 13 attacks while posting a match-high three service aces.
- Mulvaney recorded a match-high two blocks, while four other Generals each added one solo block.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals moved to 3-0 on the season with the two victories. Both marked W&L's first win in program history over each institution in the first-ever meetings between the programs.
- As a team, the Blue and White registered 90 kills on 248 attempts for a .294 hitting percentage, averaging 15.0 kills per set. They dished out 86 assists across the two matches with seven service aces, 145 digs and 11 blocks.
- Mitchener powered the W&L offense with 28 kills on 73 attempts with just three errors for a .356 hitting percentage. She also added two service aces, 33 digs and two solo blocks. Mulvaney registered 22 kills across the two wins, posting a team-high .422 hitting percentage while adding 17 digs.
- Nichoson dished out a team-high 40 assists, averaging 6.67 per set, adding two service aces and ten digs. Johnson recorded 28 assists and averaged 4.67 per set.
- Defensively, Vasquez led the team with 44 digs, averaging 7.33 per set, while posting a perfect reception percentage on 17 attempts. Mitchener added 33 digs on the evening, while Mulvaney (17), Schellenberg (17) and Nichoson (10) each reached double figures.
UP NEXT
- The Generals wrap up the opening week of the season tomorrow afternoon as they take on Otterbein University at 12:30 p.m. in Westerville, Ohio.
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.
