The New York University women's volleyball team began play in the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-9, 32-20) win over Eastern Nazarene College in a first-round match-up on Thursday, November 16, in Ithaca, NY.

NYU (30-4), who advanced to the Final Four of the 2022 Tournament, will face Eastern University (28-3) in the Second Round on Friday at 4:30pm.

The Violets started slowly on Thursday, falling behind 6-1 to begin the match. A kill by Elise Curtin stopped the bleeding and started a 3-0 NYU run.

Dominique Drust's service ace brought the Violets back even at 8-8. Ella Weider's kill snapped an 11-11 tie and was followed by a kill from Haley Holz and a service ace from Leela Anvekar.

NYU never trailed again.

Leading, 22-19, the Violets scored the final three points of the set, with another Ankevar ace "serving" as the final point.   

NYU had no early issues in the second set, scoring the first 10 points with Grace Nelson serving the final nine (which included three aces).

"I thought that stretch was a big deal," Nelson said. "The goal for us all year has been to push in that second set and get the momentum going, so i think that eeally helped propel us." 

A Lions' kill finally stopped the streak, but the Violets responded by scoring the next two points and never leading by less than 10 the rest of the way. 

Nelson's kill provided NYU with a set-high 17-point advantage, 23-6, before the Violets settled for the 16-point victory.

The final set was much more competitive. 

Eastern Nazarene (25-3) scored the first two points and the set was eventually deadlocked at 8-8. But, the Violets scored the next four points. The lead grew to as many as six points, 17-11, but the Lions made a furious comeback to take a 23-22 lead. 

However, a kill by Nelson and a Lion attack error put NYU on the brink of victory.

But, the clinching was stalled by an Eastern Nazarene kill.  

Then, one point away from being extended to a fourth set, NYU scored three straight to overcome a 30-29 deficit and complete the sweep. Holz's kill started the comeback, with a pair of Lion attack errors ending the match.  

"Everyone earns a right to be in the NCAA's, and that was apparent by Eastern Narzarene's performance," said NYU Head Coach Andrew Brown. "They went out there and fought hard for every single point and made us make adjustments. But, we stayed within our style of play, and our experience throughout the season helped us to stay confident and win those tight sets."  

Holz finished with a match-high 15 kills, hitting .353. Ella Weider had eight and Nelson added seven.

"We were able to keep our poise, especially in that third set when we were pushing for points," Holz explained. "We stayed calm whether we were up or down, just staying focused on getting the next point."  

The Violets recorded 15 services aces, led by Nelson (5) and Drust (4).  

Ava Launsbach (20) and Drust (16) had double-digit assists, while Lindsey Hirano's 13 digs led the way for NYU. 

"It's important for us to keep getting better each and every day," Brown concluded. "This win will definitely help give us confidence as we head in to our match tomorrow."