 |
| Kelsey Newman slams home another kill |
From our friends at GW Athletics Communications...
Colonials Win All Sets in Wins Over Auburn and Arkansas State
The George Washington volleyball team did not concede a set across its first two matches of the 2014 season, sweeping both Auburn and Arkansas State on Friday at the Charles E. Smith Center on the first day of the GW Invitational.
The Colonials hit a combined .274 across the two matches, while staunch defense led to 19.0 total blocks in the season-opening doubleheader.
 |
| Landon Garvik adds 8 points vs. Auburn |
Sophomore Chidima Osuchukwu led the Colonials with a .432 attack percentage across the two matches, totaling 23 kills and nine total blocks (four solo, five assists.)
 |
| Chidima Osuchukwu led GW with 12 points |
Senior Kelsey Newman added 22 kills, including her 12th career double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs in Friday morning's 3-0 sweep of Arkansas State.
Sophomore Loren Williams also surpassed a combined 20 kills in the two matches, posting 21 winners in addition to 14 digs.
 |
| Loren Williams goes airborne |
GW (2-0) picked up its first-ever victory over Auburn in Friday's nightcap, winning by set scores of 25-13, 25-18, 25-20.
 |
| Jordan Timmer paced GW with 30 assists |
The Colonials had a near-flawless first set, hitting .345 with just one attack error as a team while holding Auburn (1-1) to a .000 attack percentage.
The offensive momentum carried over to the second frame where GW hit .387 (15k-3e-31a) en route to a 25-18 win and a 2-0 edge in the match.
 |
| Maddy Doyle adds 21 digs vs. Auburn |
The third set was the closest of the match as the teams battled through 11 ties and 6 lead changes before the Colonials made a late surge to clinch the sweep with a 25-20 win.
Trailing 10-13 midway through the set, the Colonials erupted on a 7-4 run to pull even at 17-17 and force an Auburn timeout. Out of the break, the Colonials continued to apply the pressure, extending the run to 11-6 to take a 21-19 lead.
Williams recorded two of the next three points via kills to push the lead to 23-20 before an attack error by Auburn put the Colonials at match point. Sophomore Maddy Doyle then delivered the clincher with a service ace.
Osuchukwu, Newman and Williams each finished with nine kills apiece to pace the offense.
Junior Maggie Skjelbred was staunch at the net, registering seven blocks (two solo, five assist) to go with four errorless kills.
 |
| Amanda Ault... Coach of the Year? Yes! |
Doyle posted a game-high 21 digs along with two aces and two assists to lead the back line.
In the first match of the day, the Colonials swept Arkansas State by scores of 25-22, 27-25, 25-23 for their first win of the 2014 season.
 |
| Not as easy as it looks... |
Despite playing through 28 ties and seven lead changes in the match the Colonials controlled the contest by hitting .281 (51k-12e-139a) while forcing 20 Arkansas State attack errors in the victory.
GW held a 16-12 lead in the first set before a 4-1 run by the Red Wolves pulled them within one point of the lead at 17-16. After a GW timeout, the Colonials erupted on a 6-2 run of their own to take a 23-18 lead before closing out the set on a kill by Williams to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set featured nine tie scores and one lead change and saw the Colonials rally from a 19-16 deficit midway through the frame. After a timeout, GW recorded four of the next five points to knot the score at 20-20. From there, they staved off set point before a kill by senior Landon Garvik clinched a 27-25 win in the set and a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair as the teams played through 14 ties and five lead changes before GW clinched the match with a 25-23 victory. The Colonials trailed 19-21 late in the set before erupting on a 6-3 run to close the match and clinch the victory. GW's defense totaled three blocks and forced nine attack errors in the set while the offense was efficient by registering 14 kills against just three errors to earn the victory.
 |
| Maddy Doyle knows how to celebrate |
Osuchukwu hit .520 with a match-high 14 kills to go with five blocks (two solo, three assists) while Williams added 12 kills and nine digs.
Junior Jordan Timmer facilitated the offense with 44 assists along with 11 digs for her third career double-double. Timmer totaled 74 assists (12.33/set) in the two matches on Friday.
GW returns to action on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the final match of the GW Invite against North Dakota.
Click here for last night's box score.
