Volleyball serves Davidson on senior day, captures 25th straight
Photo by Shayla Bailey
Volleyball recorded a 3-1 win over Davidson University Saturday, capturing their 25th consecutive victory and finishing off a perfect A-10 season on senior day.
The Rams won in four sets over the Wildcats Saturday afternoon, improving to 28-2 on the season. The Black and Gold will enter the Atlantic 10 tournament this coming Friday as the top seed.
VCU is undefeated in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 14-0 record and undefeated at home with a 12-0 mark. The Black and Gold also ended the regular season with an 11-1 record on the road, and a 5-1 win-loss ratio on neutral courts, good for a .933 winning percentage over the entirety of their season. VCU clinched the regular season crown in the A-10 for the first time with their undefeated record.
Sophomore middle blocker Jasmin Sneed provided the standout performance for VCU against Davidson, recording 14 kills and eight blocks in the four-set win. Sneed hit an impressive .500 with no errors in 28 swings.
Senior libero Rebekah Strange, honored in a pregame ceremony as one of the team’s three seniors, recorded 34 digs and three aces, and served for the Rams over an 8-0 run during the fourth set that sealed the match for the Black and Gold.
Junior middle blocker Tori Baldwin tallied six kills and six blocks, with sophomore setter Dajah Ard adding 29 assists and 12 digs. Fellow sophomore opposite hitter Gina Tuzzolo added six blocks and 15 kills of her own, turning in a .297 hitting percentage for the Rams.
VCU won the first set 25-10, easily handling Davidson with the 15-point win. The Wildcats charged back to win the second set, but the Black and Gold shut Davidson down in the third and fourth sets, winning by 10 and three points, respectively.
VCU recorded 52 kills to Davidson’s 40, dropping the Wildcats to a 10-17 record. The Black and Gold limited Davidson to negative hitting percentages in two of the four sets, while tallying all positive percentages throughout the duration of the match.
The Black and Gold’s next match will be Friday, Nov. 17, against an opponent to be announced, at a time to be determined. This will be the quarterfinal of the A-10 tournament, with VCU three matches away from capturing their first ever A-10 championship.
Adam Cheek, Contributing writer
