Freshman Abby Syverson only wanted to make her mom proud.
In fact, Colonials’ Weekend may have been just the spark she needed to help lead the GW volleyball team past Rhode Island (24-30, 30-28, 30-19, 30-12) Sunday at the Smith Center. Syverson led the team with 20.5 points on 7 service aces, 3 block assists, and 11 kills en route to hitting .391.
“It’s fun when any of my parents can come since they don’t get to see me play the majority of the time,” Syverson said. “All of our parents being here adds a lot of fans to the crowd, and I think it really inspires us to play better.”
After struggling to find their form through the first two games, the Colonials (11-10, 4-5 Atlantic 10) came out in game three with a vengeance. Coach Jojit Coronel said that all the players really needed was “a kick in the butt.”
“As an athlete, when you know you’re playing poorly, you’re going to get a little bit mad, and the next time you get in there you’re going to make the most of the opportunity,” he said. “Looking at the stat sheet after game, I realized that we weren’t really playing that poorly, but we just needed a little fire, and our girls responded very well.”
Senior Kaimana Lee, who led the team with 18 digs and set up her teammates with her 42 assists, said that every player stepped up in their own way.
“We’ve been searching for that killer instinct all season, and I think we’re really starting to get that,” Lee said. “In our close games this year, the difference between a win and a loss has been whether or not people stepped up, and with the season wrapping up and the A-10s really upon us, it was really important that people did that today.”
Senior co-captain Juliene McLaughlin contributed a team-high 18 digs and added 12 kills to her team-leading total of 261. Junior Janine Brown also played a significant role in the GW win, leading the Colonials with 13 kills.
On Friday, Lee recorded her 3,000th career assist during the Colonials’ victory over Fordham (30-26, 30-24, 20-30, 31-29). The match was played at the local high school due to a scheduling conflict with Jerry Seinfeld’s performance at the Smith Center.
“I’m glad we won because I think that Fordham is a really good team, and I think we may have got them on a poor night,” Coronel said. “Next time we play them will be really tough, so I hope our girls will be ready.”
Syverson also led the Colonials Friday with 18.5 points on 12 kills, five service aces, and three block assists while hitting .579. McLaughlin and Brown also contributed 13 and 12 kills, respectively.
The Colonials have now won three matches in a row and are on the brink of an Atlantic 10 Championship berth with upcoming conference matches against Charlotte, Fordham, La Salle and Temple. GW plays in Prince Anne, Md., against Maryland-Eastern Shore Oct. 27 in a final out-of-conference match before taking on Charlotte Nov. 2 at the Smith Center.
“We still need to take care of business,” Coronel said. “Three wins guarantees us an A-10 berth, and I think we’re on our way. We just have to keep getting better.”
