Volleyball tops Duquesne in Five-Set Thriller

Friday, October 13

Washington, DC

6:00 p.m.

George Washington University

7-12,4-4Atlantic 10

Duquesne

8-8,3-5Atlantic 10

Duquesne

George Washington

10/13/2023 10:21:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

WASHINGTON – The George Washington volleyball team used clutch play down the stretch to capture a thrilling five set win over Duquesne on Friday night. The win propels GW to 4-4 in conference play and places the Revolutionaries in a tie for fourth place in the A-10 standings.

BY THE NUMBERS
GW continued its hot play at home, moving to 6-1 on the year inside the Charles E. Smith Center. Leading the way for the Revolutionaries was Liv Womble who registered a career-high tying 23 kills. Womble finished with a .328 hitting percentage and took 58 total attacks in the match. As a team, GW recorded a season-high 64 kills, topping the old mark of 58 which was set against George Mason on Oct. 4. Also making a significant impact for the Buff & Blue was Salem Yohannes who tallied a career-high in kills with 22. Yohannes took 51 total attacks and ended with a .373 hitting percentage. Maeve Loughran dished out 51 assists, also setting a career-high mark for the sophomore setter.

Defensively, the Revolutionaries were led by Penelope Hiepler with 18 digs, and Yohannes who also added 17 to finish with a double-double. Kelsey Watkins recorded seven block assists and two solo blocks, leading GW to 10 total blocks as a team. GW has now tallied 10+ blocks in 14 matches this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set saw the teams trade the lead multiple times throughout. In total, there were 15 ties and six lead changes in the frame. The largest lead of the set was two, held by both teams on multiple occasions. GW tallied 17 kills in the first set, its most of the night. Despite Duquesne's 24-23 lead late, GW used a quick 3-0 spurt, capped off by a Yohannes kill to secure the first set win.

GW was limited to nine kills in set two, while the Dukes hammered 13 to even the match at one set apiece. Duquesne also captured set three, outlasting GW 25-23 to take a 2-1 lead. The Dukes outhit the Buff & Blue by a thin 13-12 margin to capture set three.

Not backing down, GW roared back, dominating set four to even the match. The Revolutionaries opened a 12-6 lead midway through the set to capture the momentum. The large lead was aided by six-straight points from GW, and eventually grew to 19-11 late in the frame. Despite Duquesne's best efforts, the GW lead was insurmountable as the Revolutionaries secured the crucial fourth set win.

In set five, Duquesne hopped out to a quick 5-2 lead. However, GW proceeded to rip off nine-straight points to take a commanding 11-5 advantage. Five different players got in on the action during GW's scoring outburst, headlined by two service aces from Hiepler. The run gave GW all the momentum as the team cruised to a 15-8 win to seal the victory.

UP NEXT
The Revolutionaries are back in action tomorrow when they once again host Duquesne inside the Smith Center. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. with a live stream available on ESPN+.