The New York University women's vollyball team hosted a pair of matches along with a Senior Day celebration at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan, NY, on Saturday, November 11. 

Five Violets seniors, Kaitlyn Sato, Jessica Spierenburg, Sarah Lattan, Eveliena Pasmooij, and Ava Launsbach, were honored before the second match against John Jay.

The Violets had more than just the seniors to celebrate, recording wins over Randolph Macon, 25-20, 25-13, 22-25, 25-14, and John Jay, 25-17, 25-20, 25-11.

NYU erased an 11-5 Yellow Jacket lead in the first set of the opening match, fighting back to tie the score at 14-14. The Violets tied the match twice more after that, breaking through and reclaiming the lead at 17-16. A pair of three-point runs gave NYU a 24-19 lead, as Chloe Lemons secured the final point with a kill. 

After splitting the next two sets, the Violets began the fourth set by jumping out to a 10-3 lead. NYU kept the momentum, as its lead never fell below five points. The Violets ended the match with a four-point run, capped off by three consecutive service aces from Grace Nelson. 

Spierenburg led the Violets in kills (12) and service aces (5). Alden Roberts also tallied five service aces to go with nine digs and 12 assists. Sato notched double-digit digs with 11 while Launsbach led the team in assists with 25. 

After trading points with the Bloodhounds to begin the second match, the Violets broke a 5-5 tie on a three-point run that gave them the lead for the rest of the opening set. NYU went on to cruise to a first-set victory.

NYU looked sharp in the second set, continuing its offensive success with a .500 hitting percentage. A five-point run at 4-4 gave the Violets all the separation they needed as they never trailed after that. John Jay threatened to close the gap at 22-19, but NYU would not give in and closed out the set. 

The Violets never trailed in the final set, closing out a dominant win with their largest margin of victory of the day. NYU took the lead and the momentum after four-point and five-point runs resulted in a 10-2 score. NYU boasted a .560 hitting percentage on its way to the third-set victory. 

Chloe Lemons led the offense with 11 kills, while Nelson and Lattan weren't far behind with 10 (Lattan's career high). Both Launsbach (22) and Roberts (15) recorded double-digit assists while Sato and Launsbach added nine digs. 

"We did a really great job today at taking care of business and playing with pride on our home court to send our seniors off on a really nice note," said Head Coach Andrew Brown. "This senior class has been such hard workers and all about each other from day one which creates a really special team culture."

The defeat of John Jay marked the 100th career win for the 2026 senior class. 

"Playing for this team has been one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my life," reflected Spierenburg. "There's something so special about doing hard things alongside the people you love and I know that the bonds I've built here will last a lifetime."

The Violets compete again on Saturday, November 8, as they travel to Galloway, NJ, for a 2 p.m. road match against Stockton University.