Volleyball Downs George Washington, Remains Unbeaten In A-10

By: James Dronzek – Staff Writer

The University of Dayton women’s volleyball team improved to 8-0 in A-10 play as they defeated George Washington University 3-1 on Sunday at the Frericks Center.

UD dominated in the first set and won 25-15, then they squeaked by GW in a 25-23 second set. Despite dropping the third set to the Colonials by a score of 25-23, the Flyers stood their ground and narrowly closed out the game in a 25-21 fourth set.

Dayton improved to 17-6 overall for the season while GW fell to 7-18.
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In their last three matches, Dayton has been heavily favored, as they have faced three teams with winning percentages below .500. However, the team has been having some issues playing in the middle sets. They dropped the third set to GW, faltered a bit in the second set of their previous match against George Mason, and lost the second set in their match against Saint Louis.

“We need to be a little tougher mentally in giving up those point runs and be more consistent in what we’re doing,” said head coach Tim Horsmon.

Although George Washington proved to be a tough opponent, the Flyers played excellent defense and overpowered the Colonials at times on offense. The blocking up front and strong kills produced many points for Dayton and shifted the momentum when they were on the wrong side of a run.

Junior middle blocker Kendyll Brown stood out in particular, as she electrified the crowd and the team with impressive blocks and powerful spikes. She was the team leader for the game in kills (11) and blocks (7).

“We’ve really been working on our defense in practice,” said Brown. “Whether it be going to the floor to get the ball or blocking, it’s all been helping us on these weekends.”

Statistically, it was almost a stalemate between Dayton and GW, as the amount of kills, assists, and digs were all differentiated by small margins of one or two. The biggest statistical differentiator came in the blocks category, Flyers had 13 blocks to the Colonials’ eight.

The Flyers’ next two opponents are on completely different ends of the spectrum, as they are at Davidson (9-13) on Friday and at VCU (23-2) on Sunday. VCU is the top team in the A-10, boasting a 9-0 conference record. Sunday’s matchup may be a preview of the A-10 Championship game with both teams likely coming in unbeaten in the conference.

“We’re definitely preparing for VCU,” said Brown. “We have to focus on the little things in practice and fine tune our game.”

Photo by Christian Cubacub/Multimedia Editor