Entering the day with an unblemished record, the New York University Women's Volleyball Team defeated both Brandeis University and Emory University at University Athletic Association (UAA) Round Robin #2 in Waltham, MA, on Sunday, October 3.
The Violets are currently ranked 16th nationally by the
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and downed both Brandeis (25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19) and seventh-ranked Emory (25-14, 13-25, 25-21, 25-23) in four sets.
"I've always had the drive and focus that this school in this sport can be something special," said Head Coach
Andrew Brown. "This shows how hard our team prepared this week. Every single person on our roster is capable of making us better and I think that's something really special for this group."
It was NYU's first triumph over Emory since a NCAA Championship Final Four victory in 2003; that year the Violets fell to Washington University in St. Louis in the championship game.
NYU vs. Brandeis
New York never trailed in the first set against host Brandeis (5-11, 0-5), despite the Judges coming within two points multiple times in the middle of the frame. However, the Violets used four unanswered points to close out set one, 25-19, capped off by a kill from captain
Abby Ausmus (San Diego, CA/La Jolla Country Day School).
NYU raced out to a 12-5 lead in the second which included three-straight
Ella Spaethling (Larkspur, CA/Redwood) kills. The advantage ballooned to 23-15, but Brandeis used a 5-1 spurt to come within 24-20.
Emma Willingham (Pasadena, CA/Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy) then delivered the final blow with her third kill of the set to put NYU up 2-0.
Ten Violet attack errors in the third, paired with 10 Brandeis kills, led to a narrow, 25-23, set three win for the Judges to make things interesting. New York responded with five unanswered points to open the fourth, however, and reigning UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week
Haley Holz (Palatine, IL/Palatine) posted nine points in the set to put Brandeis away, 25-19.
Holz notched a season- and match-high 20 kills (.421), adding 12 digs and five total blocks in a double-double effort. Spaethling put down 14 kills of her own (.360),
Ella Weider (Los Gatos, CA/Los Gatos) contributed eight kills (four blocks) while Ausmus recorded seven kills and a season-high nine blocks.
Nicole Dao (Bethesda, MD/The Academy of Holy Cross) (22) and
Dominique Drust (Coto de Caza, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) (21) combined for 43 assists while
Lindsey Hirano (South Pasadena, CA/South Pasadena) (17) and
Lauren Robinson (Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) (11) each totaled double-digit digs.
"I'm incredibly proud of our team's relentless effort and focus this weekend," said Robinson. "We are really excited to see where our team goes from here."
NYU vs. Emory
Holding a slim 11-9 edge in the first, NYU scored four-straight points to make it 15-9. The Violets held Emory to just five points over the remainder of the set and a .400 team hitting percentage led to a 25-14 win.
The tables turned in the second as the Eagles (13-3, 4-1) quickly established a 14-6 advantage and didn't look back. Five kills from Tara Martin in the frame paced Emory to a 25-13 victory as the final two undefeated UAA teams looked evenly matched through two sets.
Five ties and four lead changes amounted to the score being knotted at 14-14 midway through the third. A 7-2 New York rally followed, including three kills from Holz, and Emory never came back within one as the Violets held on for a 25-21 win.
A pair of Drust service aces fueled an early, 8-3 lead for NYU in the fourth. The Eagles clawed back, though, coming within three points on three occasions before a New York error made it 24-23 late. NYU stayed poised and Spaethling delivered a kill to seal another historic victory and improve the team's record to 14-0 and 5-0 in UAA play.
Spaethling tallied 14 kills to lead the team while Holz (11 kills, 11 digs) and Ausmus (10 kills, six blocks) helped carry the offense. Dao (21) and Drust (19) once again combined for at least 40 assists and Hirano brought up a match-high 22 digs.
"Every single person on our team, whether they were there or not, contributed to this win." Ausmus said. "The work in practice, the preparation to play such a great team like Emory, gave us the tools to work hard in that match."
Next Up
The Violets next outing is a return home to the Brooklyn Athletic Facility on Saturday, October 9, for the NYU Tri-Meet. The University of Scranton and Arcadia University venture to New York City for 10:00 am, 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm start times.
