UChicago Sweeps Matches at North Park to Open Season 8-0
he University of Chicago women's volleyball team won all six sets against Wentworth and North Park on Saturday to improve to a perfect 8-0 record this season, tied for the fourth-best start to a season in UChicago volleyball history.
In the first-ever meeting between UChicago and Wentworth, the Maroons showed off their dominant form with a straight-set win over the Leopards. The Maroons won seven of eight points early in the opening set thanks to two service aces and a kill from Julia Lewkowitz to take a 9-4 lead. Wentworth answered right back with a huge run of their own, taking a 16-12 lead with 12 of 15 points over that span, but again the Maroons would not go away. Jordan Jones led UChicago on a 13-point serving run to win the set 25-16 with three service aces and a kill from Jones in the run.
In the second set, the Maroons continued to keep their momentum rolling to a 7-1 lead with five kills in the first eight points. The Leopards continued to keep the game close in the set before their rolled off five consecutive kills from Jones, Thalita Marangon, and Gabi Spellings to stretch the lead to 18-9. The Maroons would then seal the second set on another kill by Jones to win 25-16. The third set was more of the same from the Maroons with a quick 8-2 lead, and they would not relinquish the lead, taking the final set 25-19.
Thalita Marangon led the attack with 10 kills on 16 swings for a .625 attack percentage. Jones added 8 kills and a team-high 4 service aces, and Ellie Maxwell earned another double-double with 34 assists and 19 digs. The Maroons hit .348 as a team with 40 kills in three sets, and they held Wentworth to just 19 kills and a .022 hitting percentage.
In the second match of the day, the Maroons kept their momentum rolling with their third consecutive sweep and their fifth sweep in the last six matches.The opening set was back and forth as both teams went on runs, but UChicago rattled off four straight points on three kills for an 18-15 lead. After the Vikings battled back to cut the lead to one, Julia Lewkowitz led the Maroons on a 6-0 scoring run to win the set 25-18 on an ace from Lewkowitz and a big kill from Jones.
The Maroons took another early 6-3 lead on the second set with kills from Lewkowitz and Olivia Zamis, and they did not give up the lead again. UChicago took the second frame 25-20, and they controlled the third yet with an 8-5 lead. Following two kills from Jones and one from Thalita Marangon, the Maroons extended their lead to 11-7, but North Park retook the lead for the first time at 12-11. The Vikings continued to fight back and forth to take 20-18, but the Maroons answered back with five of the next six points to take a 23-21 advantage on five kills, including multiple from both Jones and Marangon. Then, folloiwng a kill from Lewkowitz, North Park would surrender back-to-back points on attack errors to give the Maroons the third set at 26-24.
Thalita Marangon was the lone UChicago player to finish in double figures with 11 kills, and she added 9 digs. Ellie Maxwell added another double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs, and Kennedy Cheung led the team with 15 digs in the victory.
With the wins, the Maroons improve to 8-0 overall this season.