With more than 10 matches remaining in their season, volleyball (15-5, 5-2 Atlantic 10) has already more than doubled last season’s win total of seven, with victories in five of their six most recent contests.
Before a loss against Davidson on Sunday, the team had won five straight, defeating Duquesne, Fordham, George Mason, and Davidson. Last season, the Revs finished ninth out of 10 teams and ended the conference play 4-14, including losing their final 10 matches.
The Revolutionaries’ strong serving has been a major catalyst for their success this season, as the team ranks first in the A-10 with 2.03 service aces per game while allowing their opponents to have 1.25, the second lowest in the conference.
In the Saturday showdown against Davidson, the Revs swept the Wildcats, 28-26, 25-19 and 25-20. Senior opposite MC Daubendiek led the offense with 14 kills on 17 attempts, while freshman opposite Taylor Treahy registered 15 kills and two service aces. On the defensive end, junior middle blockers Cianna Tejada and Sydney Stewart combined for seven blocks, and graduate student libero Reilly Heinrich notched 11 digs.
Treahy was named A-10 Volleyball Rookie of the Week on Oct. 8, honoring her work at the net. This season, Treahy has recorded 193 kills and 100 digs, notching 20 aces with her work from the service line.
In Sunday’s 2-3 loss to Davidson, Treahy earned 11 kills and two service aces. Senior outside hitter Salem Yohannes tallied 10 kills while Daubendiek registered nine.
Yohannes was named A-10 Volleyball Player of the Week on Sept. 3 for her performance the first week of the season. She ranks sixth in the A-10, averaging 3.27 kills per set and having 264.5 points total. Her hitting percentage of .347 places her third, while her 67 total blocks are the 10th most in the conference.
Before the loss to Davidson, the team dropped one set total in five matches, with the only nonstraight set victory coming against Fordham on Oct. 4, in which GW beat the Rams in four sets.
A second-place finish would be the team’s best in 10 years, when the Revolutionaries finished with an 11-3 conference record in 2014 behind Dayton, which finished the year 13-1. Entering this season, GW was predicted to finish eighth in the conference in the preseason poll, ahead of George Mason and Rhode Island.
Once again, GW stands only behind the Flyers, who hold a 17-1 record, including a 7-0 record against conference opponents and a 10-match winning streak. The Revs will travel to Dayton, Ohio, to take on the Flyers on Friday and Saturday for a matchup at the top of the A-10 standings.
