WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The Navy volleyball team (3-0) posted a 25-17, 25-15, 25-18 victory over American (2-3), Wednesday night at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C. The result gave the Mids their first sweep of the Eagles since Oct. 6, 1987.
The Mids had not played a match since Feb. 27 and practiced just twice –– Monday and Tuesday of this week –– over the last several weeks.
"Our first contacts tonight were solid," said Navy head coach
Paco Labrador. "The serve receivers were dialed in and defensively we made some nice reads and scrapped on every point."
American took a 7-4 lead early in set one only to see Navy score the next eight points and take a 12-7 advantage. The Mids soon led, 17-10, before the Eagles made a modest run and closed to within 20-16. A 3-0 run by Navy extended its lead out to 23-16 and gave the Mids enough of a cushion to claim the opening set, 25-17.
Navy's block was instrumental in the win as the Mids held a 5-1 advantage in that statistic. The Eagles posted seven kills and had an equal number of attack errors to end the frame with a .000 hitting percentage. Navy tallied 13 kills and just four errors to post a mark of .290.
Individually,
Celie Feighery (So., Oak Hill, Va.) dropped in four service aces in the first set.
Navy went on a 5-0 run in the early part of the second set to take a 12-7 advantage. The lead soon grew to 15-9. The teams traded the next few points until a 5-0 run by the Mids gave them a 23-13 lead.
Hitting also played a large factor in the second set. The Mids had 11 kills and three attack errors (.286) in the frame and the Eagles tallied six kills and 10 attack errors (-.138). Through two sets, Navy was +17 in kills to errors and American was -4.
The third set was the closest of the night as the score was tied 12 times and the lead changed hands on five occasions. The Eagles held a 15-14 lead until a 4-0 run gave the Mids an 18-15 advantage. The teams exchanged the next few points, then a 5-0 Navy run took the Mids to match point with a 24-17 lead.
Navy ended the night hitting .308 on 39 kills and 11 errors and limiting American to a .054 attack percentage on 26 kills and 21 errors. The Mids finished the match with a 9-1 advantage in blocks and a 7-1 lead in aces.
"I thought our setters –– Feighery and
Averi Miller (Fr., Phoenix, Ariz.) –– made good decisions," said Labrador. "They mixed balanced distribution with finding some smart matchup advantages."
Navy had great offensive balance as five Mids registered between five and eight kills.
Taylor Gray (Jr., Huntington Beach, Calif.) and
Avery Stowell (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) each produced eight kills,
Maddi Sgattoni (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) and
Maggie Bodman (Fr., Northbrook, Ill.) both had seven kills and
Cami Herman (Jr., Brookfield, Wis.) tallied five kills. Defensively, Stowell and Bodman each recorded six block assists and Sgattoni snared 10 digs.
"Taylor has been our go-to utility player and tonight she showcased what a complete player she is with a .538 attack percentage," said Labrador. "Maggie and Avery have great blocking instincts. I think the blocks they had early in the match really set the tone for the rest of the team."
The Mids will play Saturday evening at Loyola before closing the regular season by playing host to American Sunday in the Wesley A. Brown Field House.
