Volleyball earned back-to-back wins in a trio of matches at the Smith Center this weekend.
The Revolutionaries (2-6), who have not yet begun conference play, started their season with five straight losses on the road. But in their first home matches, volleyball beat Old Dominion and crosstown rival Georgetown University in the DC Showdown this weekend after an early Friday loss to North Alabama in the tournament.
Match 1:
The Revs fell 2-3 to North Alabama Friday in a doubleheader after dominating in their first two sets (25–19, 25–16). The Lions overpowered the Revs’ offense, leading to three set losses to close out GW.
Sophomore setter Dilara Elmacioglu collected her career high of 27 assists in a single game, contributing to the Revs’ offensive capabilities. Elmacioglu currently averages 5.03 assists per set, the 10th best in the conference. Junior opposite MC Daubendiek and junior outside hitter Brittany Myers each tallied 12 kills throughout the match.
Daubendiek said that although losing repeatedly is difficult, each loss has shaped her team into a stronger competitor.
“Obviously, the first few games did not go the way we wanted them to,” Daubendiek said. “But I think that every single game, you can look stats-wise and morale-wise, we have improved. And we’re just going to keep improving. So we invite those challenges that we’re facing, and I think that we continue to conquer them.”
Although the Revs initially began the match full of momentum by winning the first two sets, their offense stuttered and they fell in the remaining sets to the 63 kills provided by the Lions, compared to the Revs’ 53. The Revs gave up 8 consecutive points in set three of the match.
Match 2:
The Revs proceeded to redeem themselves several hours later Friday night by securing a 3-1 win over Old Dominion in nail-biting sets with tight scores.
The Monarchs and the Revs scored points back and forth during the first set until the Revs scored a flurry of points to clinch the set. After substituting several Monarchs, the Revs were no match for the upgraded Monarch defense.
Going into the third set, the Monarchs scored four points against the Revs, but that did not stop the Revs, who fired back with 9 points in a row courtesy of critical errors from the Monarchs and kills by graduate student outside hitter Grace Wiczek and sophomore setter Maeve Loughran.
The Monarchs proved to be a strong match against the Revs’ offensive lineup, with the sets alternating between the teams. After winning the first set 25-22, the Revs fell to the Monarchs 25–20 before picking up steam and firing through the remaining two sets (25–22, 25–23).
Elmacioglu and Loughran logged 30 and 23 assists, respectively, contributing to 57 total assists throughout the match.
Match 3:
After a split tournament record, the Revs fired on all cylinders against crosstown rival Georgetown in their final match. The Revs took home the win after also being handed losses by other local rivals American and Howard universities while playing on the road in August.
Head Coach Katie Reifert said playing other local competitors allows her team to compete against nearby teams that are not in the conference.
“For us, we just love playing crosstown rivals American [and] Howard,” Reifert said. “It’s always fun to see, just in the District who’s the best that day.”
The Revs put up a strong offense against the Hoyas while collecting 36 assists and 59 digs through the match. Senior opposite Liv Womble measured eight kills that evaded the Hoyas’ defensive capabilities.
Womble said having a 17-person roster has instilled a strong work ethic in her teammates and has allowed her team additional practice opportunities.
“I think our practice gym is one of the hardest practice gyms in the A-10 because of how hard we go after each other,” Womble said.
The Revs will hit the road to compete against North Carolina State Wednesday at 6 p.m.
