Violets Sweep Susquehanna and Stevens at Home
The 23rd-ranked New York University women's volleyball team closed out their Home-Opener Invitational on Saturday at the Paulson Center in Manhattan with a pair of sweeps against Susquehanna and Stevens.
The Violets handled Susquehanna in three sets, outscoring the River Hawks 25-13, 25-8, and 25-9 before sweeping Stevens 25-9, 28-26, and 25-16.
The first match against Susquehanna was dominated by NYU. The Violets started off with a 6-0 run and never relinquished the lead throughout the three sets. It was a strong showing for the Violets across the board, but they particularly shone at the service line, tallying 19 service aces across the match. Grace Nelson led the way with six aces, including three straight early in the third set.
The Violets shared the load offensively, as nine players recorded kills. Nelson led the match with eight while Stella Dillon and Chloe Lemons were close behind with seven kills each.
"I think we really handled our side of the net, really played our brand of volleyball, and we also were able to showcase our depth," Head Coach Andrew Brown stated. "It's one of the reasons why we've been working so hard in practice. Everyone's pushing us in terms of competitiveness, consistency and confidence. It was really nice to see other players get in and be just as successful in those opportunities."
NYU carried the momentum from the Susquehanna win into the first set against Stevens, taking them down 25-9. The second set started similarly, with the Violets taking a 10-4 lead before the Ducks closed the gap to two points at 11-9. NYU went up 23-19 but Stevens crawled back again, taking their first lead of the set at 25-24. The Violets fended off two set points before a kill by Chloe Hynes secured a break point and an attack error from Stevens secured the 28-26 set win for NYU.
The Violets bounced back from the suspenseful second set, taking the third set 25-16. NYU got out to a 10-9 lead before separating on a six point run and never looking back.
"You have to continue focusing on everyone attacking it together and not being individual," Brown explained. "That's what we did today. We dug in deep and really supported each other and stayed confident in each other."
Chloe Hynes led the offense with 11 kills while Nelson collected another six service aces. Jessica Spierenburg tallied five blocks while Hynes recorded three.