The New York University Women's Volleyball Team's road debut was similar to its home debut on Wednesday, as the Violets posted a straight-set victory over Washington College (MD) on Friday, September 3, at the DeSales University Invite in Center Valley, PA.
NYU opened its season at home on Wednesday with a 25-11, 25-16, 25-23 sweep over Manhattanville College.
On Friday, the Violets (2-0) again posted convincing victories in the first two sets (25-15, 25-13) before holding off the rallying Shorewomen (0-1) 25-23 in the clincher. In the final set, NYU led 24-20 before Washington tallied the next three points. However, a kill by
Leela Anvekar (San Marino, CA/San Marino) extinguished the comeback.
"This was very similar to Wednesday night," said Head Coach
Andrew Brown. "Everybody stepped up and contributed, which was very nice to see, and again we were able to to close out the match under pressure by being aggressive and taking risks. We have a very strong team that can really push the level of play, allowing us to take steps toward being at an elite level as the season progresses."
Nine different players had at least one kill for the Violets.
Ella Spaethling (Larkspur, CA/Redwood) led the way with seven, while
Haley Holz (Palatine, IL/Palatine) and
Taylor Odum (Houston, TX/Memorial) each had six.
The backline also spread the wealth, as a total of 10 NYU players contributed at least one dig.
Lindsey Hirano (South Pasadena, CA/South Pasadena) led the pack with 12, while
Dominique Drust (Coto de Caza, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) and Spaethling each had five digs.
A pair of Violets contributed double-digit assists, as Drust totaled 12 and
Nicole Dao (Bethesda, MD/The Academy of Holy Cross) registered 10.
"It's great to be back on the court," Dao said. "I'm having so much fun. Our team dynamic is what's really standing out to me. The way we play together and support each other has been really good. It's really fun to be on the road again with all 25 of us."
The Violets are right back in action at the Invite on Saturday with matches against Rutgers-Camden at 2:00pm and host DeSales at 4:00pm.
