The youthful University of Mary Washington volleyball team, in its first NCAA Tournament match in 24 years, overcame some early jitters, but fell to Case Western Reserve University, 3-1, on Friday night in Huntingdon, Pa. Game scores were 25-20, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23. The Eagles close the season with a record of 23-8, their best since 1995.
In an evenly played contest from start to finish, the Eagles jumped ahead in the first, taking the first three points before building an 8-4 lead. The Spartans responded with five of the next six points to tie the match at 9-9.
The game went back and forth from there, with the Eagles holding a 15-14 edge before Case responded with six of the next seven points to lead, 20-16. The Eagles scored the next two points before Case Western pulled away for a 25-20 game one win.
In the second, UMW took the first two points, but the lead switched hands a total of seven times before Case Western seized momentum with six straight points to take a 19-15 advantage. Again, the Eagles fought back, cutting the deficit to one on two occasions, the latest being 20-19, before the Spartans ran away with the 25-20 win.
The Eagles responded in the third, building a 4-1 lead, only to see Case Western tie the score at 4-4 and again at 5-5. UMW scored five of six to lead, 13-8, and Case would never lead again, as the Eagles went on for a 25-19 win in game three.
In the fourth, the Eagles used a 4-0 run to grab a 7-3 lead, and held the advantage until the lead stood at 20-16. Case responded with four straight points to tie the score, and points went back and forth until 23-23, when the Spartans scored a pair in a row to take the game and match, 25-23.
"I thought we played real well, especially in the third and fourth games", said UMW head coach Matt Troy. "To come back after a slow start and pick it up to a point where it came down to a few plays that could have gone one way or the other... We showed tremendous fight, and I'm very proud of these ladies. Give Case Western a lot of credit... They played very hard as well, and are a great team."
"We feel blessed to be here", said Yost after the match. "Seeing the progression we've made in my two years, and what has happened in Coach's three seasons... We're very excited about the program moving forward."
Olson echoed those comments: "To be here was great, and to see how far we've come in a short time is amazing. This has been a great experience, and I'm really looking forward to seeing us put in the work to win a CAC Championship, and get back here again."
Sophomore Rachel Hendricks had 16 kills to lead the Eagles, while senior Emma Murphy had 14 kills against just one error in 31 attempts. Freshman Leslie Walters had nine kills and senior Megan Payne seven. Junior Emma Olson scored 41 assists to go with 13 digs and seven kills, and sophomore Jenna Yost and freshman Ryan Cho each had 14 digs for the Eagles.
Case Western was led by Haley Kaufman's 13 kills and Shannon Carroll's 39 assists and 13 digs.