The New York University women's volleyball team swept a pair of matches on Friday, September 14, in Aston, PA. NYU defeated Moravian College in its first match of the day, before taking down Widener University later in the evening. Both matches were played as part of the Knights Invitational, which is being hosted by Neumann University on Friday and Saturday, September 14 and 15.

NYU (7-3) defeated Moravian (6-6) in four sets (25-21, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18) and followed it up with another four-set victory (19-25, 25-19, 25-16, 29-27), this time over a Widener squad which entered the evening with an 8-2 record.

"We worked real hard this week putting in some adjustments that were visibly strong in both matches tonight," said NYU Head Coach Andrew Brown. "One area I'm very pleased with is our block, which is continuing to set the tone for our defensive effort."

The Violets used a balanced attack in the victory over Moravian with six players recording at least five kills. A pair of freshmen, Abby Ausmus and Gretchen Kincade, led the way with nine kills each, while their classmate Stella Alverson dished out a team-high 22 assists. 

After dropping the first set to the Pride, NYU took control of the match and won the second and third frames decisively.The fourth set was back-and-forth until the Violets finally clinched it on a Widener attack error. Kincade (season-high-tying 14 kills) and Ausmus (eight kills) once again led the offensive attack, while Alverson led all players with a season-best 25 assists. Four players tallied multiple blocks, including Ausmus, who recorded a match-high five (two solo, three assisted). 

"Our system is creating great opportunities for our hitters, which we were able to capitalize on," added Brown. "Tonight we saw our team execute under pressure to close out big sets."

The Violets conclude play at the Knights Invitational on Saturday when they take on host Neumann at 10am and the University of Scranton at 12pm.