WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Catholic women's volleyball team hosted crosstown opponent Gallaudet on Wednesday evening. After going down in set one, the Cardinals came from behind, defeating the Bison 3-1 in the match.
Catholic capitalized on a service error to earn their first point of the game, but Gallaudet evened the score with a kill from Brielle Worley, who went on to notch 10 kills in the set. The Bison quickly took charge, going on a five-point run to regain the lead from the Cardinals. Catholic looked to stay within reach, but Gallaudet continued to add points to their total. The Cardinals closed in on them, tying the score at 18, but the Bison secured the victory, 25-22.
Gallaudet carried the momentum into set two, taking an early lead, but Catholic got into a groove, evening the score at seven before taking the lead with two service aces from
Mia Campos Cruz. The Cardinals held onto the lead, and went on a six-point run, with points from
Julia Turchiano and
Caroline Welsh and a service ace from
Marin Stensrud. Catholic's advantage was enough to deter Gallaudet, and they took set two, 25-19.
The fire stayed lit in the third set with the match at an even 1-1. The Bison looked to regain their lead, taking the first two points. They continued to extend their lead, but the Cardinals clawed back, taking charge with a six-point run, followed up by a seven-point run that began with a kill from
Julia Raab. During the second run,
Kate Berra logged a season-high four service aces. Catholic continued to add to their tally, winning their second set 25-17.
Despite taking an early advantage, the fourth set was still a battle for the Cardinals. They earned the first two points in the set, and maintained a close lead. As it got later in the game, Catholic built a six-point lead over the Bison, but they managed to chip away, tying the score at 22 as they attempted to force a set five. It was back-and-forth until the final two points. The score was tied at 25 when
Juliette Cummings gave Catholic the lead with a kill, assisted by
Anna Maria Carella. It was
Caroline Welsh who hammered it home, picking up her sixth kill of the game to secure the 27-25 set four win and give the Cardinals the 3-1 match victory.
Raab led the team with 13 kills, her fourth game in the double figures. She currently is atop the team leaderboard with 89 kills this season.
Kate Kozlowski followed Raab in the game with eight.
On top of her four service aces, Berra tied her season-high assists with 16. Campos Cruz also had four service aces in the game. Stensrud had 11 digs on the day, her fifth game with 10 or more digs.
The Cardinals improved their record to 4-6 overall this season. This is their ninth win against the Bison in series history, and their first win since 2022.
This weekend, Catholic will host a tri-match against Christopher Newport and Lebanon Valley. The first game will begin at noon against the Flying Dutchmen, followed by a meeting with the Captains at 4 p.m.
