George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
0-2,0-0Atlantic 10
Howard
1-1,0-0MEAC
Volleyball Held Off at Howard, 3-2
8/26/2023 4:25:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
WASHINGTON – GW volleyball and Howard traded the first four sets of Saturday's five-set thriller, but the Bison came out on top, 21-25, 25-17, 16-25, 25-21, 10-15.
BY THE NUMBERS
Four Revolutionaries reached double figures in kills, with Brittany Myers leading the offense with 13 kills. Salem Yohannes added 12 kills to go along with 13 digs and Sydney Stewart and Grace Wiczek added 10 kills apiece. Stewart's 10 kills came on 13 attempts, with one error to hit for a .692 efficiency. The sophomore also led GW defensively with six blocks. Maeve Loughran cued the GW offense with 27 assists and Dilara Elmacioglu added 16 to feed the GW attack, which accumulated 54 kills on the day with a .218 hitting percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GW and Howard traded points to begin the match before GW created a narrow 6-3 edge over the Bison. Howard regained control and took the lead for good at 8-7, outhitting GW 14-9 to take the opening frame.
The Buff & Blue had their most efficient set in set two, swinging behind a .270 hitting percentage for 14 kills. After falling behind 2-0, GW managed an 8-3 lead over the home team, never allowing another lead change to level the match at 1-1.
GW quickly fell into a 5-1 deficit in set three, but five straight kills helped the Revolutionaries move ahead at 7-5, forcing a Howard timeout. The two teams tied twice more, but the Bison managed a seven-point scoring run, which helped put the set out of reach for the visitors, who fell behind two sets to one.
Bolstered by a five-point Howard scoring run in the early stages of set four, GW found itself behind 10-5. GW then went on a pair of its own scoring runs, with a four-point and five-point rally helping the Revolutionaries to a 17-14 lead over the Bison with hopes of forcing a fifth set. Four kills in the waning moments of set four helped GW to the 25-21 win, finishing the set with a game-high 15 kills.
Despite the back-and-forth, a firing Bison offense put down 15 kills to take the fifth and final set to earn their first win of the 2023 season.
UP NEXT
GW looks ahead to the Eagle Invitational hosted by Georgia Southern next week. The Revolutionaries will have three matches across Friday and Saturday, starting with the host team on Friday at 10 a.m., followed by a match vs. Stetson at 4 p.m. GW closes the weekend vs. College of Charleston on Saturday at 10 a.m.
