The GW women’s volleyball team has enjoyed a hot stretch of late, winning seven of nine matches over the last three weeks entering Tuesday’s match against Howard. Fortunately for the squad, the visiting Bison did nothing to cool the Colonials’ winning ways, as GW easily handled their guests with a 3-0 sweep.

Although Howard kept pace with GW (17-7, 4-3 Atlantic 10) early in all three games, the Colonials eventually took control as the score approached double digits each time around. A number of mid-set runs left the Bison far behind and unable to recover, allowing GW to dispose of its nonconference opponents in just over an hour of play.

“Our passing was much better. Our middles were a little better,” head coach Jojit Coronel said.

None of the contest’s three sets ended with particularly close scores, as GW won 25-13, 25-16 and 25-14. The Colonials out-hit the Bison .276 to .046, with Howard managing just 12 kills compared to 19 errors. In the first set, the Bison hit -.056.

Twelve different Colonials recorded points in the match, none more than sophomore MacKenzie Knox’s match-high 12.5 on 12 kills. Freshman Candace Silva-Martin led the team in digs with 13, while sophomore setter Alyssa Valentine had 30 assists.

Junior Hannah Stuart, who had three kills and five digs, praised her team’s cooperation and depth.

“We really played cohesively,” she said. “We have a really deep team.”

Coronel said Tuesday’s nonconference win helps the team build confidence as they return to A-10 competition.

“It’s pretty awesome for us,” he said. “We want to sweep this weekend. The two teams we’re gonna play are excellent.”

Next, the Colonials will host Xavier Friday at 7 p.m. before a Sunday afternoon home showdown with first-place Dayton, which is set for a 1 p.m. start.