NYU Women's Volleyball Advances to NCAA Elite Eight With Win Over Ithaca
The New York University women's volleyball team will be heading out west after capturing the Ithaca Regional with a win over host Ithaca College and will be returning to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Violets defeated the Bombers in straight sets (25-22, 28-26, 25-23) on Saturday in Ithaca, New York, and are one of eight teams still alive in the tournament.
The Elite 8 will begin on Wednesday, November 29, in Claremont, CA. NYU's opponent is yet to be determined.
The top-seeded Violets,
ranked #7 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), and the second-seeded Bombers, ranked #23, went toe-to-toe in this one, with NYU outlasting their hosts in a tight three-setter.
"We knew that Ithaca was coming in with a super-strong game plan. It wasn't going to be an easy," said NYU Head Coach Andrew Brown.
The match featured drama right from the start as each team had sizable leads in the opening set. NYU was ahead by five early, but Ithaca roared back to take a four-point advantage at 18-14.
NYU still trailed 21-20, but recorded the next three points to regain the lead. The Bombers pulled to within 23-22, but a kill by Ella Weider and a combo block from Weider and Sarah Lattan ended the frame.
The second set featured an incredibly tight battle which featured 13 ties. Neither team led by more than two points until Ithaca went ahead 17-13. Still down 23-20, the Violets scored the next three points to knot the score. NYU faced game point trailing 26-25 on Ithaca's serve, but consecutive kills from Weider and Taylor Odum, and a Bomber attack error gave NYU the hard-fought second-set victory.
"Our team does a really good job of performing under pressure," Brown explained. "When we're within a point or two at any time, we 're confident that we still have a chance of winning."
The final set appeared as if it would be an easy one for the Violets, leading by as many as four points early. However, a 17-14 advantage soon became a deficit as Ithaca scored the next four points to take their first lead of the set.
The teams stayed within a point of each other until, with the scored deadlocked at 23-23, Haley Holz recorded a kill and Dominique Drust ended the match with a service ace.
Holz, who finished with 14 kills, eight digs and a block, was named Region Most Outstanding Player. Nelson, who had 10 kills and three service aces, was named to thew All-Region Team as was Lindsey Hirano, who recorded 21 digs and four assists.
"We were very calm and composed today, and I think you can really see that for all three sets," Hirano said. "Even when we were down we ere able to keep our composure and chip away little by little."
Weider contributed 10 kills, hitting .562, while Odum added eight kills and hit .571.
As a team, NYU out-hit Ithaca .265-.125.
"We showed a lot of grit and determination today," Brown concluded. "We're going to soak this all in and continue to grind. It's exciting to use the experience we gained last year as we keep moving forward. A lot of our players are from California and it will be an exciting environment out there."
The eight remaining teams will be re-seeded and pairings will be announced on Monday.