Wednesday, October 25
Fairfax, VA
6:00 p.m.
George Washington University
at
George Mason
Volleyball Set for Three Pivotal A-10 Matches This Week
10/24/2023 8:22:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
WASHINGTON – With the 2023 regular season quickly coming to a close and the race to the A-10 Championship heating up, the George Washington volleyball team is set to compete in three pivotal conference matches this week. GW will travel to nearby rival George Mason on Wednesday night at 6 p.m., then host Dayton for a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday. Friday's match is slated for 6 p.m., while Saturday's contest is set for 2 p.m. All three matches will be available to stream on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
Last week's trip to the Big Apple did not prove to be fruitful for GW as it resulted in two loses to Fordham. On Friday, the Buff & Blue narrowly fell in five sets after falling behind 2-0 early on. In the contest, the Revolutionaries were led by junior Salem Yohannes and sophomore Maeve Loughran who both tallied career-highs in the match. Yohannes registered 26 kills for the Buff & Blue, while Loughran finished with 55 assists to set a new career mark.
In Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Rams, junior Brittany Myers recorded a career-high 18 kills to pace GW's offense. Myers finished the weekend with 33 total kills, the most in a two-match stretch in her career.
RACE TO THE A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Entering play this week, GW currently sits just outside the mark needed to advance to the A-10 Championship. The Revolutionaries are tied for seventh-place in the conference standings with the top six seeds advancing to the postseason. GW sits in a tie with Saint Louis with a conference mark of 4-7. Six of GW's final seven matches are against teams currently higher than them in the rankings, giving the Buff & Blue the opportunity to climb the list before the regular season ends. A full list of A-10 standings can be found here.
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
Earlier this season, GW hosted George Mason for a single match on Oct. 4. The contest proved to be an instant-classic, taking all five sets before a winner could be crowned. After falling behind 2-1 in the match, GW won the final two sets to claim victory inside the Smith Center. The fourth set, which resulted in a final score of 32-30, was the highest scoring set since 2008 when the score needed to win a set was lowered from 30 to 25 nationwide.
Since GW's thrilling win over George Mason, the Patriots have not found the win column, losing six-straight matches. In total, George Mason has lost nine in a row dating back to Sept. 23. The Patriots hold an overall record of 6-17 and have a conference mark of 2-9. George Mason is led by Ewelina Gacek with 202 kills on the season, including 2.35 kills per set. Gabriella Gelfound leads the team in assists with 361 this season and she currently averages 4.06 assists per set.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton enters this week's action ranked 18th in the country and currently holds a record of 22-2. The Flyers are a perfect 11-0 in conference play this season and will host Duquesne on Tuesday night before traveling to the DMV this weekend. Dayton currently holds a 17-match winning streak, and its only two losses have come against teams ranked inside the top-15. Their first loss came against 12th-ranked Marquette on Aug. 26, and the second was against second-ranked Louisville on Sept. 6. Both losses were five-set affairs.
The Flyers are led by Lexie Almodovar with 361 kills on the season. Almodovar averages 4.40 kills per set and boasts a hitting percentage of .266. Along with Almodovar, the Flyers have four other players with over 100 kills on the season. Taylor Russell (241), Alayna Yates (162), Amelia Moore (159) and Liana Sarkissian (102) have each made a significant impact for Dayton's offense this season. Along with their hitters, Alyssa Miller has also enjoyed a standout year, tallying 873 assists on the season. Miller averages 10.52 assists per set.
LAST TIME OUT
Last week's trip to the Big Apple did not prove to be fruitful for GW as it resulted in two loses to Fordham. On Friday, the Buff & Blue narrowly fell in five sets after falling behind 2-0 early on. In the contest, the Revolutionaries were led by junior Salem Yohannes and sophomore Maeve Loughran who both tallied career-highs in the match. Yohannes registered 26 kills for the Buff & Blue, while Loughran finished with 55 assists to set a new career mark.
In Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Rams, junior Brittany Myers recorded a career-high 18 kills to pace GW's offense. Myers finished the weekend with 33 total kills, the most in a two-match stretch in her career.
RACE TO THE A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Entering play this week, GW currently sits just outside the mark needed to advance to the A-10 Championship. The Revolutionaries are tied for seventh-place in the conference standings with the top six seeds advancing to the postseason. GW sits in a tie with Saint Louis with a conference mark of 4-7. Six of GW's final seven matches are against teams currently higher than them in the rankings, giving the Buff & Blue the opportunity to climb the list before the regular season ends. A full list of A-10 standings can be found here.
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
Earlier this season, GW hosted George Mason for a single match on Oct. 4. The contest proved to be an instant-classic, taking all five sets before a winner could be crowned. After falling behind 2-1 in the match, GW won the final two sets to claim victory inside the Smith Center. The fourth set, which resulted in a final score of 32-30, was the highest scoring set since 2008 when the score needed to win a set was lowered from 30 to 25 nationwide.
Since GW's thrilling win over George Mason, the Patriots have not found the win column, losing six-straight matches. In total, George Mason has lost nine in a row dating back to Sept. 23. The Patriots hold an overall record of 6-17 and have a conference mark of 2-9. George Mason is led by Ewelina Gacek with 202 kills on the season, including 2.35 kills per set. Gabriella Gelfound leads the team in assists with 361 this season and she currently averages 4.06 assists per set.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton enters this week's action ranked 18th in the country and currently holds a record of 22-2. The Flyers are a perfect 11-0 in conference play this season and will host Duquesne on Tuesday night before traveling to the DMV this weekend. Dayton currently holds a 17-match winning streak, and its only two losses have come against teams ranked inside the top-15. Their first loss came against 12th-ranked Marquette on Aug. 26, and the second was against second-ranked Louisville on Sept. 6. Both losses were five-set affairs.
The Flyers are led by Lexie Almodovar with 361 kills on the season. Almodovar averages 4.40 kills per set and boasts a hitting percentage of .266. Along with Almodovar, the Flyers have four other players with over 100 kills on the season. Taylor Russell (241), Alayna Yates (162), Amelia Moore (159) and Liana Sarkissian (102) have each made a significant impact for Dayton's offense this season. Along with their hitters, Alyssa Miller has also enjoyed a standout year, tallying 873 assists on the season. Miller averages 10.52 assists per set.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballGW Volleyball Recap vs IU INDY (09/13/24)
Monday, September 16
Then & Now: Volleyball
Tuesday, August 09
GW Water Polo vs Johns Hopkins
Thursday, October 14
GW Water Polo vs Fordham
Thursday, October 14