Volleyball Sweeps Alabama A&M, Stuns Morgan State on Friday

Friday, September 14

Washington, D.C.

11:00 a.m.

George Washington University

4-5

Alabama A&M

3-10

Alabama A&M

George Washington

9/14/2018 10:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Colonials open Dig The District Invitational with two wins

WASHINGTON, D.C. – GW volleyball swept the opening match of the Dig The District Invitational Friday morning over Alabama A&M before storming back from two sets down to knock off Morgan State in the nightcap at the Smith Center.

GW (5-5) has now won three straight matches and has posted four five-set wins already this year.

GW 3, Alabama A&M 0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21)
Key Stats
• GW recorded its first sweep of the year, dominating nearly every statistical category: kills (47-30), attack percentage (.280-.190), aces (5-2), and blocks (7.0-1.0).
• The .280 hitting percentage (47k-17e-107a) was the best of the year for GW and the fifth-best mark under second year head coach Sarah Bernson.
• Four different Colonials hit over .200 individually while recording at least eight kills. Senior Kelsey Clark had the most efficient day with 13 kills and a .522 attack percentage in 23 attempts.
• Juniors Skylar Iott (14 kills, .206) and Jordan Young (10 kills, .273) also notched double-digit kills while senior Alexis Lete provided eight kills and four blocks while hitting .316.

How it Happened
Set 1: GW 25, Alabama A&M 22
• Alabama A&M (3-10) started quick to take a 4-1 lead before GW battled back to gain a brief advantage at 13-12.
• Neither team led by more than two for the rest of the set until GW finished on a 5-1 run to claim the victory.
• Young led the charge with six kills and two blocks in set one as the Colonials registered five blocks as a team.

Set 2: GW 25, Alabama A&M 18
• GW allowed consecutive points just once in the set, posting a 94% sideout percentage to claim set two.
• Clark made her presence known with eight kills in 10 attempts to help put the Bulldogs away.

Set 3: GW 25, Alabama A&M 21
• Much like the first set, GW overcame an early three-point hole and took the lead as a result of a 6-1 run to move in front 13-10.
• Alabama A&M tied the set at 19, but Iott crushed three kills in a 4-0 spurt to give the Colonials the edge they'd use to finish off the match.

Watch

Hear from Coach Bernson, Skylar Iott, and Melody Williams about today's 3-0 win over Alabama A&M! #RaiseHigh #DigDC pic.twitter.com/CqFK9H5UdY
— GW Volleyball (@GW_Volleyball) September 14, 2018

GW 3, Morgan State 2 (22-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21, 15-9)
Key Stats
• GW fought off three match points in the third set before coming all the way back for its fourth five-set win of the year. The match featured 41 ties and 20 lead changes.

• After hitting below .200 in the first three sets, the Colonials combined to hit .280 (27k-8e-68a) in sets four and five.
• Three Colonials ended up with double figure kills, led by Iott's double-double of 20 kills and 19 digs.
• Clark added 15 kills and Lete contributed six kills, a solo block, and seven block assists.

How it Happened
Set 1: Morgan State 25, GW 22
• The Colonials were unable to find much rhythm in the opening set, hitting -.029 (8k-9e-34e).
• Despite the percentage, Morgan State (5-8) did not shake GW until late in the set to secure the opening win.

Set 2: Morgan State 25, GW 22
• The Bears followed a similar plan to the opening set and were able to hold off a late Colonial charge to take a two sets to none lead.
• Lete and Lee teamed up for three block assists each.

Set 3: GW 26, Morgan State 24
• GW faced three match points, trailing 24-21, before turning the match around with five straight points to win the third set.
• With Iott on serve, Lee and Lete teamed up for three blocks in the final four points in an exhilarating run to swing the momentum.

Set 4: GW 25, Morgan State 21
• The Colonials fell behind 4-0 in the set, but roared back to force the extra stanza, pulling away late to even the match.
• Iott notched nine of her kills in just 20 attempts (.400 attack percentage) in the fourth with Clark adding six kills in 14 tries (.357).

Set 5: GW 15, Morgan State 9
• GW put the game away early in the fifth, hitting .294 (8k-3e-17a) in the final set.
• As she did in the third set, Iott was on serve for the decisive run, which included a pair of aces to salt the match away.

Watch

What a win! Hear from Coach Bernson, Skylar Iott, and Alexis Lete about the comeback vs Morgan State. #RaiseHigh #DigDC pic.twitter.com/nRaqHvjfDz
— GW Volleyball (@GW_Volleyball) September 15, 2018

Up Next
• GW wraps up the Dig The District Invitational with a single match on Saturday against Coppin State at 3 p.m. Please note the change from the original schedule. There will only be one match at the Smith Center on Saturday.