NYU Women's Volleyball Season Over

Violets Fall in Three Sets to Salisbury in NCAA Second Round

Dunn produced an outstanding freshman season.

The New York University women's volleyball team fell in three sets to Christopher Newport University in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan on Friday night.

Despite being the top-seeded team in the eight-team New York Region, the Violets (29-10) were swept by the #4-seeded Captains (35-6), who now face Salisbury University on Saturday for the region title and a berth in the NCAA Elite Eight.

NYU got off to a good start in the match, taking a 6-1 lead in the first set. However, Christopher Newport climbed within 10-9 then scored the next eight points. The Violets pulled within one at 20-19, but got no closer and fell 25-22 in set one.

The Violets led by as many as four in the second set, 12-8, and by two, 20-18, following a kill by Natalie Fernandez. However, NYU could not hold its advantage, dropping seven of the last nine points en route to another 25-22 defeat.

The third set was eerily similar, as the Violets again held an early four-point lead, 8-4. Once again the Captains erased their deficit and pulled ahead by as many as five, 17-12.

This time it was NYU that battled back, eventually pulling to within one, 22-21, on Mina Baban's service ace. However, after the teams traded points twice, Alexis Schwartz' service error ended the affair with the Violets on the short end of a 25-23 score.

"We were worried about our experience level coming into the tournament and it definitely showed tonight," said NYU head coach Ed Caesar. Prior to this season, none of the current Violets had ever played in the NCAA Tournament. "The key thing at this point is to not focus on what we didn't do right tonight, but what we did right throughout the season,"

Kendyl Dunn's match-high 12 kills led NYU, which finished fourth in the University Athletic Association during the season. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) New York Region Rookie of the Year completed her first collegiate season with a team-high 511 kills.

Baban, an All-Region selection, had 29 set assists for the Violets, while Schwartz led the squad with 18 digs. Baban and Rachel Sawyer each had 11 digs.

Caitlyn Jansen led the Captains with 11 kills and Jessie Heavenrich totaled a match-high 36 set assists. Abby Hogge contributed a match-high 27 digs, while Heavenrich and Kara Elder had 11 each.

The NCAA Tournament appearance for the Violets was the sixth in eight years under Caesar's direction.