The New York University Women's Volleyball Team's upstate road trip concluded today, October 30, with a tri-match sweep of SUNY Brockport and Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY.

Ranked #12 in the nation and #1 in Region IV, NYU (23-1) did not drop a set on the day to remain undefeated in non-University Athletic Association (UAA) contests, concluding the regular season full of momentum and chemistry as the postseason looms.

"We got better every set," said Head Coach Andrew Brown. "We did a good job of handling adversity, making adjustments and then capitalizing on our strengths: being physical at the net with our block and playing really strong defense around it."

Junior setter Nicole Dao (Bethesda, MD/The Academy of Holy Cross) reached a milestone in the win over Ithaca, recording the 1,000th assist of her career in just her second season. Adding to the feat is that she splits time with a second setter, showing her elite efficiency when on the floor.

"It's honestly unreal," Dao said. "When everyone was cheering I just felt even more motivated to get out there and set up those kills for everyone. It's been an honor to be on this team and be able to be the one to deliver for everybody."

NYU vs. Brockport (25-13, 25-17, 25-16)

The Golden Eagles (16-9) scored the first two points of the match, but NYU responded with an 11-1 run — including three-straight Haley Holz (Palatine, IL/Palatine) aces — that gave them an insurmountable lead and a dominant set-one win.

Set two was closer with Brockport leading 5-4 early until the Violets compiled six unanswered points to regain momentum. A .458 hitting percentage, while holding the Golden Eagles to .121, allowed New York to pull away and ready for a sweep.

Brockport stayed around for much of the third, but a late, 8-1 spurt from the Violets sealed the result as they secured their 22nd win of 2021.

Holz and Ella Spaethling (Larkspur, CA/Redwood) tied for the match high with 11 kills apiece; Spaethling hit a whopping .846 with no errors on 13 attacks. 

Lauren Robinson (Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) boosted the offense with four aces while Dominique Drust (Coto de Caza, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) and Dao had 13 and 10 assists, respectively.

Lindsey Hirano (South Pasadena, CA/South Pasadena) continued her stellar defensive output this season with 14 digs in the win (five assists).

"This season has been more than I could have dreamt of, more than the goals that I set," reflected captain Abby Ausmus (San Diego, CA/La Jolla Country Day School). "We just went beyond what I could have imagined and I think the team has really set this great, supportive tone. There's nothing better than being together."

NYU vs. Ithaca (25-22, 25-14, 25-13)

Back-and-forth play ensued from the outset with eight lead changes and seven ties occurring en route to an 11-9 lead for the Bombers (16-12). The teams traded runs from there and found themselves knotted at 19. Kills from Ausmus, Ella Weider (Los Gatos, CA/Los Gatos) and Spaethling, along with a Dao ace and two Bomber errors, allowed the Violets to eek out with a three-point victory.

New York didn't allow for the second to be as close, racing out to a 7-2 lead that was extended to 16-6 after a Holz kill. The Bombers never came close and the 25-14 victory was punctuated by a rare kill from setter Drust.

The Violets' sturdy defense was on full display in the third, limiting Ithaca to a .091 hitting percentage and nine kills. NYU concluded the match with a 7-0 run, highlighted by four Robinson aces, for a convincing 25-13 win.

Weider (nine), Holz (eight) and Spaethling (eight) combined for 25 kills with Dao (14 assists) and Drust (10 assists) setting the table. Dao now sits at 1,010 assists for her career.

"Nicole has done a really good job of establishing our offense during both her freshman year and this year," commented Brown. "She's competing at a very elite level and the team feeds off of her ability to keep everybody engaged."

Hirano totaled 16 digs, Robinson added four aces and Ausmus collected three blocks as the Violets ended the regular season on a high note.

Next Up

NYU begins the postseason at the UAA Championship on Friday-Saturday, November 5-6, hosted by Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Top-seeded NYU's first-round opponent is the University of Rochester on Friday.