The #1 seed in the 2021 University Athletic Association (UAA) Women's Volleyball Championship belongs to New York University.
"It is unreal and something I wasn't sure I'd ever get to be a part of," said senior captain
Abby Ausmus (San Diego, CA/La Jolla Country Day School). "I'm really appreciative and lucky to be a part of this team and have that number one spot."
Tenth-ranked NYU (17-1, 6-1) concluded UAA play at Round Robin #3 in Atlanta, GA, on Sunday, October 17, falling to Carnegie Mellon University in five sets and clinching the top seed in the Association tournament with a sweep of Case Western Reserve University.
"We definitely set lofty goals at the beginning of the season," said Head Coach
Andrew Brown. "Each week the team bought in more and really raised the bar, becoming super confident in their work ethic and our style of volleyball."
NYU vs. Carnegie Mellon (25-22, 25-18, 20-25, 17-25, 8-15)
The Violets raced out to a 2-0 lead over CMU (9-10, 4-3), coming back from down 22-21 to win the first set 25-22 and never trailing in the second en route to a 25-18 victory.
Carnegie Mellon responded with their backs against the wall in the third, establishing an early 11-6 edge after a Stella Yan kill. NYU narrowed the deficit to 18-16, but the Tartans scored five unanswered points to break away and win the set 25-20.
Back-and-forth play ensued in the fourth, but CMU used an 8-3 run to take a 19-12 lead. The Tartans didn't look back, winning 25-17 behind six points from Carrie Stewart.
The Violets never led in the final set. Carnegie Mellon scored the final four points of the match, winning 15-8 to secure the comeback victory.
"We kept having this tendency in the third set, after winning the first two, to get off the gas a little bit," Ausmus said. "When we went to our Case game we said we would break that habit and set the pace. That's exactly what we did. I think the whole team flipped a switch and really supported each other."
Ella Spaethling (Larkspur, CA/Redwood) paced NYU with 14 kills (.200) and
Haley Holz (Palatine, IL/Palatine) contributed a 10-kill, 11-dig double-double.
Gretchen Kincade (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Ramapo) and
Ella Weider (Los Gatos, CA/Los Gatos) added eight kills each to boost the offense.
Nicole Dao (Bethesda, MD/The Academy of Holy Cross) served up 25 assists and
Dominique Drust (Coto de Caza, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) added 18 of her own while
Lindsey Hirano (South Pasadena, CA/South Pasadena) led the defense with 26 digs.
"There's a lot of pressure taken off our shoulders by how competitive Carnegie Mellon was," commented Brown. "They did a good job of continuing to battle adversity and making adjustments. I think our team's will to win is always there, but they did a good job at slowing down the things we do well."
NYU vs. Case Western Reserve (25-15, 25-12, 25-20)
Set one against the Spartans (9-11, 2-5) was tightly contested early, but NYU closed the frame on an 11-3 run, including three kills from Spaethling, to finish with a 25-15 win.
The Violets cruised to a 10-3 advantage in the second set and never allowed CWRU to get back into it, looking poised for a sweep with a 25-12 triumph.
NYU controlled the final set as well, but the Spartans made it interesting after a 5-1 spurt in the middle of the frame tied the score at 16. The Violets scored the next six points, however, and held off a late CWRU rally to prevail 25-20, securing the Championship's #1 seed.
"It's such an honor [to be the #1 seed]," Drust said. "I've been following the team for a few years now, so it means a lot to be able to be a part of such a special group of individuals who are able to come together and win. It's been amazing."
Spaethling shined once again, totaling a match-high 18 kills (.586), while Ausmus added 11 and Holz pitched in eight.
Dao and Drust dished out 16 assists each and Hirano continued to showcase her defensive prowess with a match-high 12 digs.
"Today showed that we aren't untouchable. But, if we play our system then we can be very, very competitive," added Brown.
Next Up
The Violets revert back to non-Association play, hosting the NYU Tournament at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility on Friday and Saturday, October 22-23. The event opens with a single match against Montclair State University (Oct. 22) with first serve set for 7:00 pm.
