Box Score
NEW YORK, N.Y. - New York University Violets displayed their wares as the top seed by cruising to a 3-0 win over Westfield State University in the opening round of the NCAA Division III New York Region women’s volleyball tournament on Friday, Nov. 12, at the Coles Sports Center.
Having earned the #1 seed and its second straight NCAA at-large tournament bid, NYU (36-5) defeated Westfield State (20-13) 25-10, 25-9, 25-18 and advancing to Saturday’s semifinal vs. Clarkson University.
NYU raced out to a 13-2 lead in the first set and were never seriously challenged.
The Owls stayed close early in the second set, but NYU broke a 3-3 tie with a 4-0 run. After Westfield State pulled with three at 8-5, the Violets went on a 12-1 streak to put the set out of reach.
The third set was closer. Westfield State took its first lead of the night by scoring the first two points and led 13-11 after an NYU attack error.
However, the Violets scored the next four points and never trailed again. Beth Fionda’s kill ended the match and catapulted NYU into the semifinals.
“I thought it was a great way to start the tournament,” said NYU interim head coach Chris Pinto. “We came out strong and never really let up. However, we’ll need to keep that focus and intensity if we want to continue to advance.”
The Violets’ Sally Downs and Erin McLaughlin tied for match-high honors with nine kills each. Alexis Schwartz tied a match-high with 10 digs, while Mina Baban recorded a match-best 31 assists.
The Owls’ Alyssa Stankowski also had 10 digs. Alex Shaw led Westfield State with eight kills and Kerin DeGirolamo was team high with 20 assists.
