New York University (NYU) rallied to victory, defeating Carnegie Mellon University 3-2, earning a crucial United Athletic Association win during the second-round robin.
A little rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the Division III Women’s Volleyball UAA Round Robin #2 on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 11.
NYU, the host of this second full-day event for the UAA, was jam-packed, filling the purple-and-white gym with elite NCAA Division III institutions, including NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, WashU, the University of Chicago, Case Western Reserve, Brandeis, and Rochester, along with coaches, families, and friends.
The UAA Round Robin #2 stands as the second-to-last series of games before conference seeding comes into play. All teams face one another in hopes of placing high in the UAA Volleyball Championship bracket.
Last year, Carnegie Mellon University secured a commanding 3-0 sweep victory against Brandeis University at the UAA Championship, advancing all the way to the regional final of the Division III tournament. As for NYU, the Violets haven’t won a championship title since 2023.
In hopes of the Tartans wanting to secure a back-to-back title, the Violets aren’t backing down from any competition.
Tied in conference play at 3-0, the Violets and the Tartans were the must-watch game of the afternoon and a highly anticipated matchup. Only one team could walk away with a win, while the other would walk away with an altered record. The Violets faced the Tartans in an intense five-set matchup, ultimately pulling through with a 3-2 set victory. After losing the opening set 23-25, the Violets fought back to win the second set 25-21, and the Tartans won the third 28-26. Violets responded by taking the fourth set 25-21, forcing a deciding fifth set, where NYU secured a 15-12 win. The game changers: blocks, assists, kills, and mentality.
The Violets were led by Tatum Chase with 13 kills, Alden Roberts with two aces, Sienna Morales with 13 total blocks, Kate Scherlacher with 23 assists, and Lily Leung with 20 digs. Chloe Lemons added 12 kills, while Coco Barton contributed one ace and six blocks.
“We’ve been doing a really good job at taking aggressive risks with confidence, and I think the sets that we had trouble closing out, we just got a little bit timid in terms of, like, our willingness to make a mistake, so then we made more of them,” head coach Andrew Brown shared after their victory.
The game started off extremely strong. In the first set, the Tartans recorded a stellar .300 hitting percentage, with 13 kills and 4 errors, while the Violets trailed not far behind with 12 kills. However, six errors held the Violets back, allowing the Tartans to take the opening set 25-23.
During the second set, the pace of the game changed. The Tartans committed nine errors on 36 attempts, dropping their hitting percentage to .111, while the Violets picked up momentum, hitting .200 with 11 kills to tie the match and take the second set 25-21.
The defensive effort was on full display during the third set. The Tartans forced the Violets to 10 kills, while the Violets also committed 10 errors on 50 attempts. The Tartans weren’t perfect themselves, recording 47 attempts; however, they managed to get 15 kills, taking the lead 2-1 and ultimately winning this back-and-forth set 28-26.
Facing elimination, the Violets took over while the Tartans began to struggle to keep up with their momentum. The Tartans had a negative hitting percentage of -.057, recording 10 errors and eight kills. The Violets won the set with a .200 hitting percentage and 13 kills, pushing the game to a fifth set.
“The strategy was there, but I think they needed more of just the ball-knows-ball, fight hard, and just let, like, the game be the game. And then I think they did a good job of carrying that into the fourth set, that mindset, and they took a ton of risks that then allowed us to go into the fifth set feeling really confident,” Brown said.
That mindset was on full display during the final set. The Violets had near-perfect offense, ending with 11 kills and one error for a .435 hitting percentage. The Tartans fought back, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to defeat the Violets, who secured a 15-12 win. As the Violets look ahead to playing Rochester following their win and preparing for the rest of the season, Brown says there is still more work to do.
“Every UAA match feels like a postseason game. So that’s only going to prepare you in the long run. Like right now, we know Rochester is just as capable of going out here and playing good volleyball, so it’s about celebrating the win that we just had but then looking into the next opportunity and being able to reset and focus versus just like wanting a result. We have to go out here and earn every result.”
