Year two at the John A. Paulson Center is underway.

Opening its second season at New York University's newest athletic facility, the #6-ranked women's volleyball team opened its 2024 campaign with a straight-set victory over the University of Massachusetts Boston on Friday, August 30, in Manhattan.

 This one was never in doubt as the Violets recorded the 25-21, 25-12, 25-20 victory.

"We are excited to be back out there and showcase our NYU brand oif volleyball," said Head Coach Andrew Brown.

Last season's NCAA Final Four participant never trailed in either of the first two sets, building leads of as many as nine and 13 points, respectively.

UMass took its first lead of the match early in the third set and expanded it to 14-10 midway through.

However, NYU scored the next 10 points with Ava Launsbach contributing four service aces during that stretch. 

"I just really locked in in the moment," Launsbach explained. "I was trying to put a hard ball in." 
 

The Beacons bounced back to tie the game at 20-20, but did not score again as NYU reeled off the final five points punctuated by Grace Nelson's match-ending kill. 

"I think we did a good job of battling through some adversity," Brown explained. "UMass did a really good job at closing some late sets. They got a bit more aggressive, so I think our team did a good job of earning more points at the end. it forced us to play better." 

Nelson finished with a match-high 12 kills and Catherine Maffei added seven. Launsbach led the way with a match-high 18 assists, while Dominique Drust had 14.   

In her NYU debut, Yooni Park led the way with 19 digs. 

"I'm so happy with how we did. A great way to start the season," Launsbach added. "It was really fun." 

The Violets are right back on the court tomorrow when they travel to Madison, NJ, to face St. Joseph's University Long Island at 12:30pm and host Drew University at 5:30pm.