The New York University women's volleyball team,
ranked #7 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll, completed play at the Pacific Coast Classic in Claremont, CA, by splitting its two matches on Saturday, September 3.
After defeating California Lutheran University 3-0, the Violets (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season, falling to #2-ranked host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in straight sets.
NYU swept the Kingsmen in the first match 25-21, 25-16, 25-21.
The Violets only trailed once in the first set (11-10) and were tied 14-14 in the second before going on a 9-0 run to secure the win.
In the final set, Cal Lutheran led 5-4. But, NYU scored the next three points and never trailed again.
Haley Holz (12) and Gabriella Spaethiling (10) each had double-digit kills, while
Nicole Dao contributed a match-high 24 assists. Lindsay Hirano led the way with 12 digs.
In the second match, the Violets suffered their first loss of the young season against the second-ranked Athenas (25-16, 25-12, 29-27).
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps scored the first six points of the first set and never trailed, then took a 4-1 lead in the second and again never trailed.
The final set was much more competitive, with NYU gaining its first lead of the match. The Violets led by three early and were still ahead 24-23, but could not secure the clinching point en route to the match-clinching loss.
Holz, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, again produced double-digit-kills (13). Dao led the way with 15 assists, while Hirano's 13 teams were the team high.
NYU had won both of its matches on Friday.
"I was really impressed by our team's ability to handle our three opening matches with tons of consistency and execution," explained Head Coach
Andrew Brown. "The last match was a great opportunity for growth from our side. We made a lot of tactical adjustments with personal and began to break down CMS' high-power offense. But, fatigue of two back-to-back matches got to us. The third set proved that we can handle adversity and play gritty volleyball at a high level.
"We will look to build on this successful weekend and continue to focus on unity and confidence as we get better every day in practice."
The Violets return to action when they host the NYU Invitational on Friday and Saturday, September 9-10.
