By Varun Pandey
The George Washington Revolutionaries closed out their season on a high note Saturday, defeating Loyola Chicago, 3-2, at the Charles E. Smith Center on Senior Night. After winning the first two sets before Loyola rallied to force a fifth, GW responded to secure the victory and clinch its spot in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
GW opened the match with a close 25-23 victory in the first set, carrying this momentum into the second set. The Revolutionaries capitalized off an early lead and maintained their advantage to take the set 25-21, and move ahead 2-0.
Loyola responded in the third set, overcoming an early GW rally to take a 25-23 victory. The Ramblers carried that momentum into the fourth, jumping out to an early 5-0 lead on their way to a 25-18 win and forcing a deciding fifth set.
With the match on the line, the Revolutionaries fought back and found their rhythm again. After a back-and-forth fifth set, GW mounted a late rally to take the set 15-11 after a late serving run from junior Abby Markworth.
Junior Cayla Cogan finished with a season-high 24 kills while hitting .367. Markworth recorded 52 assists, while Riley Samuel held down the defense with a season-high 10 blocks. As a team, GW finished with 69 kills and 12 blocks.
This victory also marked GW’s final home match of the season. Before the match, the Revolutionaries honored graduate students Nicanora Clarke and Yazmyn Billings with a Senior Night ceremony.
Following the match, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Nicole Alford reflected on the impact both players have had on the program during their time at GW.
“They both came up huge today on their Senior Night,” Alford said. “Even though they were only with us for one year, they’ve made a huge impact for us. Just their leadership, consistency, experience, and each of them have brought a little bit of personality to the court.”
Alford also highlighted the importance of the weekend’s results, explaining that the team understood the significance of its final regular-season matches against Loyola. “We told the team this morning that this was a bit of a must-win situation for us,” Alford said. “All week we were telling the team that our fate is in our own hands, and we control our destiny.” With a weekend sweep of Loyola Chicago, GW improved to 15-15 overall and 10-8 in the Atlantic 10, securing its place in the conference tournament in Chicago.
As the Revolutionaries turn their attention to the postseason, Alford said the focus will be on maintaining consistency. “At this point in the season, it’s really just about consistency,” Alford said. “We are playing our best play now.”
GW will now prepare for the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Chicago, with details of its first-round matchup to be announced.
