From NYU Athletics
The #11-ranked New York University women's volleyball team ran its winning steak to six with victories over Babson College and Amherst College on Saturday at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan.
The Violets (6-1) swept Babson in their first match of the day (25-18, 25-17, 25-23) and then defeated Amherst 25-21, 25-11, 25-13.
In their opening match, the Violets out-hit Babson .198 to .060, recording 37 kills to the Beavers' 32.
It was a balanced attack up front for NYU with Camille Nazor leading the way with eight kills. She was followed closely by Grace Nelson (7), Haley Holz (6), Ella Weider (6), and Elise Curtin (4).
The duo of Dominique Drust and Ava Launsbach each had 14 assists, while Lindsey Hirano anchored the backline with 16 digs.
The first set was tied 6-6 when Hirano took service and NYU scored the next six points. Two of those came via aces and the Violets never trailed again.
The second set was also tied 6-6 when NYU scored nine of the next 10 points and eased to the victory.
It was a different story in the final set as Babson raced out to an early six-point lead. The Violets were able to re-capture the lead, but still trailed 23-22. However, a Weider kill, an ace from Launsbach and a combined block by Nazor and Curtin ended the match.
Against Amherst, NYU started slowly by falling behind 5-1. The deficit was short-lived as the Violets seemingly took control and went ahead 21-14. But, the Mammouths scored the next seven points to tie the score. The Violets did not get rattled, however, coming back to score the last four points and clinching the set on Drust's ace.
NYU carried the momentum into the second set, taking an 11-1 lead and increasing it to a game-high 14 points at the end.
The Violets' dominance continued into the final set as they scored the first six points and never trailed. The day's activities ended on a block by Lauren Scheffler.
Nelson again had seven kills to lead NYU. Launsbach was tops with 16 assists and Hirano had a match-high nine digs. Curtin recorded seven aces in the contest.
"This weekend was a good opportunity to showcase how well-rounded our team is and how strong our depth is," said Head Coach Andrew Brown. "I felt everyone did a great job at capitalizing on the court and displaying our NYU brand of volleyball. Plus, Elise's serving allowed us to go on many runs."