The New York University women's volleyball team fell to Wesleyan University (CT) in four sets in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, November 20, in Middletown, CT.
After the Violets began the opening set with a 2-0 lead, the Cardinals answered with four consecutive points and did not trail for the remainder of the set. Wesleyan led by as much as 11 in the frame and took the set, 25-14.
NYU flipped the script in the second set, as it jumped out to a 10-3 advantage and never trailed. After the Cardinals cut the deficit to five, down 13-8, the two teams exchanged points for the next several rallies, bringing the score to 17-12. However, the Violets ended the frame on an 8-2 run and tied the match at one set apiece.
The two teams went back-and-forth for the opening stages of the third set, with NYU leading 9-8. However, Wesleyan scored six consecutive points to get out in front and did not surrender the lead. The Cardinals went on to win the set 25-14.
The Violets got out to a 7-4 edge at the start of the fourth frame, but Wesleyan answered back with an 8-2 run to take a three-point advantage. The Cardinals once again hung on to their lead for the remainder of the set, going up by as much as 10. Wesleyan clinched the match with a 25-15 set win.
"At the end of the day, Wesleyan was a little bit cleaner and we were a little bit error heavy," said Head Coach
Andrew Brown. "But, really proud of this group in their resilience and investment in each other."
In her final career match with NYU,
Jessica Spierenburg tallied a career-high of 15 kills on .542 hitting. Also playing her final match for the Violets,
Ava Launsbach dished out 26 assists.
Coco Barton collected 5.0 total blocks.
"Playing a collegiate sport is not an easy undertaking by any means," explained Spierenburg. "The things that have made me want to fight harder and work harder every single day are the people on this team and our coaching staff who continue to push us."
NYU's five seniors will graduate having appeared in the NCAA Tournament in all four years of their careers.
"I feel like I've gotten my best friends from this program," added Launsbach. "Coming into practice every single day, I feel like I've made best friends for life."
