By Alden Detmer/x: @AldenDetmer
The George Washington women’s volleyball team (9-5) beat the Rhode Island Rams (3-11) in an exciting and competitive 3-1 victory at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday.
The Revolutionaries swept their first A-10 conference series following a 3-0 win on Friday.
“Rhode Island threw something different at us,” GW women’s volleyball coach Katie Reifert said. “That’s the fun of playing back-to-back games in our conference. A team might change everything [between] Friday night and Saturday. They gave us a lot of trouble, but it was really cool to see my team be resilient even though they’re playing better today.”
The opening set remained close until the end, with Rhode Island pushing GW to extra points before the Revolutionaries secured a 26-24 win. With the score knotted at 24 to each side, Middle Back Cianna Tejada delivered a crucial kill to put GW in front, and the Revs closed it out on the next point. Statistically, GW outperformed the Rams in the first set, posting a .387% hitting percentage compared to Rhode Island’s .216%.
The second set began slightly differently, with Rhode Island breaking away to amass a 12-7 lead. The Revs fought back and went on a 7-2 run to tie the set up 14-14. Both teams fought until the end, where Tejada was able to secure another clutch kill to push the Revs ahead by one. The final point lasted nearly a minute, with GW eventually getting the upper hand.
“It was crazy,” Setter Abby Markworth said. “We had someone in the front row who usually doesn’t play front row. That was definitely a moment where it showed that no matter who’s front row, we are able to step up and lock in. Everyone did their job, and our energy was super high. Being able to get [a kill] on the last point was huge at that moment.”
Rhode Island was able to claw back in the third set, finding a relatively smooth 25-20 victory. The Revs closed out the series in a less-stressful final set 25-16.
The game also served as the volleyball program’s annual cause match. Three-year-old Juni, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer, was honored as the game’s Honorary Captain. As the niece of Assistant Coach Nicole Alford, Juni has been a supporter of GW women’s volleyball her whole life.
“We were talking in the locker room about we are playing for something bigger today,” Markworth said. “She always shows up with a big smile on her face no matter what she is going through. I think it’s a great opportunity for us to really show up for her, and still find joy throughout the game no matter if we’re winning or losing.”
Reifert said she first learned of Juni’s diagnosis last year and hoped the match could provide joy for Juni and her family.
“It was really, really hard on Nicole, obviously,” Reifert said. “Juni has always been a fixture of this program. She’s been coming to games, so it was really cool today to be able to do something for her. Obviously, we can’t fight the battle for her, but it’s really nice to be able to show support, bring awareness to her cancer, and hopefully just make a really bright spot in her journey.”
The Revolutionaries face their next test at Loyola Marymount Chicago this Friday.
