Volleyball (13-4, 3-1 Atlantic 10) took down Fordham University (4-9, 0-4 A-10) on Saturday in three-straight sets, claiming a match and series victory, 25-19, 25-21 and 25-20.
The Revolutionaries dominated the match, with their hitting percentage swinging above .400 for two of the three sets, which marks the Revs’ third victory in their win streak. Volleyball dominated Duquesne 3-0 (11-5, 2-2 A-10) on Sept. 28 and won their first matchup against Fordham on Oct. 4 in four sets, 25-7, 22-25, 25-14 and 25-17.
Freshman opposite Taylor Treahy led the offensive charge with 13 kills on a .440 hitting percentage, and senior opposite MC Daubendiek added 11 kills. Treahy has already collected 160 kills this season, playing in 16 out of 17 matches.
Leading on the attack, junior setter Dilara Elmacıoğlu and freshman setter Abby Markworth dished out 20 assists each, allowing the team to maintain their momentum throughout the match. Markworth, in her first year with the program, almost topped her season high of 21 assists, which she achieved in GW’s game against New Jersey Institute of Technology last month.
Junior middle blocker Cianna Tejada and junior middle Sydney Stewart contributed three total blocks at the net, shutting down Fordham’s attack. The Revolutionaries’ defensive play, a tactic Head Coach Katie Reifert has emphasized throughout the season, played a key role in their three-set victory.
The Revs have won 10 nonconference games, starting their season with a successful D.C. Challenge tournament that ended Sept. 1 and resulted in triumphs over University of California, Riverside and Howard University before losing to American University. The Revs dominated the Delaware State Tournament, taking home wins against the Highlanders and Delaware State and Harvard universities.
Coming into the 2024 season, the team looked to bounce back after ending the previous season with a 7-22 overall record and ending on a 10-match losing streak. Reifert shifted focus to improving defense during the offseason, especially after the team ranked at the bottom of the A-10 in opponent hitting percentage and second to last in kills allowed at the end of the 2023 season.
Reifert said in August that GW showed flashes of offensive dominance last year, after beating Georgetown University 3-1 a few weeks into the season, but their defensive struggles gave opponents too many opportunities to score. The team improved its opponent hitting percentage, bringing it down from .247 in the 2023 season to .182 this season through the first 17 matches.
The team added several new faces this season, including transfer graduate student Reilly Heinrich from the University of Texas, a two-time NCAA national champion.
The Revs now sit in third place in the A-10, behind Loyola Chicago and Dayton. With a few key conference matchups ahead, including battles against George Mason and Saint Louis, GW will look to maintain their momentum from the three-set win streak and solidify their position in the standings.
GW will travel to Fairfax, Virginia, for a matchup against DMV rival George Mason on Oct. 9.
