The New York University women's volleyball team faced Skidmore College and Springfield College on Saturday, September 7, at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility in Brooklyn, NY.
The Violets (6-1) opened with a straight-set sweep of Skidmore (25-18, 25-16, 25-16) before dropping a five-setter to Springfield (22-25, 27-25, 25-18, 17-25, 15-12).
NYU never trailed at any point during the first match against Skidmore (2-4).
The Violets scored the first three points of the opening set. Then, with the score tied 15-15, the hosts ended the set on a 10-3 run.
NYU scored the first six points of the second set and led by as many as nine. The Thoroughbreds pulled to within three points at 19-16, but NYU scored the final six to vanquish the threat.
The final set was tied 3-3 when the Violets when on an 8-1 run. The lead grew to as many as 10 points and never fell below five the rest of the way.
Haley Holz (Palatine, IL /Palatine) filled up the stat sheet for NYU with 13 kills (.500 hitting pct.), eight digs and three service aces.
Nicole Dao (Bethesda, MD/The Academy of Holy Cross) and
Veronica Johnson (Santa Monica, CA/Santa Monica) each had 17 assists, while
Jacqueline Kupeli (Danville, CA/Monte Vista) contributed 20 digs and six assists.
The Violets went to five sets for the first time this season in their match against Springfield (5-1).
The Violets broke an 18-18 tied in the first set by scoring the next five points and securing the win.
The hosts fought back in the second set after trailing by as many as seven points. But after ties at 23, 24 and 25, Springfield finally pulled out the win by securing the final two points.
In the third set, the Pride pulled out to a quick lead and the Violets never recovered.
However, the fourth set was all NYU as the hosts scored the first four points and never trailed.
The intensity picked up in the deciding fifth set, as both teams laid it all out on the court. The Pride led most of the way, but the Violets battled back and cut their deficit to two points, 14-12, before Camryn Bancroft sent everyone home with a match-ending kill for Springfield.
Emily Kleck (Fisher, IN/Cathedral) (11) and
Caroline Rapp (Boynton Beach, FL/American Heritage School) (10) each had double-digit kills for NYU. Dao had a team-high 23 assists and Kupeli led four Violets in double figures 31 digs.
Gretchen Kincade (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Ramapo) contributed seven blocks.
"Our team fought hard all weekend," said Head Coach
Andrew Brown. "We have a clear plan of what we need to go back and work on heading into our next competition."
The Violets return to action on Friday and Saturday, September 13-14, at the Kean University Tournament in Union, NJ. NYU will play four matches over two days, beginning with a contest against Gettysburg College on Friday at 6:00pm.
