MATCH STATS
- (RV) VCU def. Dayton, 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-13)
- VCU improves to 30-2; Dayton falls to 23-8
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Attendance: 501
- VCU earns the Atlantic 10 automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, its first since 2005
- Box score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – VCU had four players in double-digit kills as the Rams defeated Dayton in 5 sets Sunday afternoon, 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-13). The win marked the first Atlantic 10 Championship for VCU, and its first conference title since 2005. The win also extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 27.
VCU’s Vicky Giommarini recorded a double-double of 16 kills and 15 digs. The sophomore was also named the A-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Fellow All-Tournament honorees Tori Baldwin (5 kills, 4 blocks), Rebekah Strange (15 digs, 6 assists) and Gina Tuzzolo (11 kills, 5 blocks, 5 assists) were all major contributors for the Rams. VCU also limited A-10 Player of the Year Amber Erhahon to .115 hitting percentage.
Dayton was led by All-Tournament honorees Jessica Sloan (16 kills, 13 digs), Kendyll Brown (11 kills, 4 blocks, .455) and Lauren Bruns (11 kills, 6 digs, 5 blocks). The Flyers (RPI: 53) must now wait for Selection Sunday to decide their fate for the NCAA tournament.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of VCU Athletics
The short story: VCU women’s volleyball took a thrilling five-set match over Dayton to win its first Atlantic 10 Championship, and its first conference title since 2005, at the A.J. Palumbo Center on Sunday afternoon.
OPENING VOLLEY
- Sophomore Vicky Giommarini recorded a double-double of 16 kills and 15 digs on her way to being named Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament.
- Junior Tori Baldwin, senior Rebekah Strange, and sophomore Gina Tuzzolo all joined Giommarini on the All-Tournament team.
- The Rams extended the nation’s longest win streak to 27 matches.
- Senior Alica Kandler also notched a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs.
- VCU blocked 13 attacks, led by sophomore Jasmin Sneed who had nine, four of which were solo. Baldwin added four of her own.
- Strange matched Giommarini’s dig total with 15.
- Junior Julia Adler smashed 10 kills, hitting .286 for the match.
- Sophomores Dejah Ard and Tyler Sroufe split setting responsibilities, tallying 27 and 23 assists, respectively.
THE DIFFERENCE
- In a tight first set, Dayton rallied from a five-point defecit to tie the match at 23-23. Sneed and Tuzzolo delivered a massive block, followed by a service ace from Tuzzolo to win the set.
- VCU jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third set, powered by kills from Giommarini and Tuzzolo. The Rams extended the advantage to 13-3 with help from a pair of powerful kills from Kandler. Baldwin would finish off the set with a sharp spike at the net.
- Neither team led the deciding fifth set by more than two points. VCU took a timeout with Dayton leading 13-12, then scored the final three points of the match. After a Flyers ball handling error, Sneed turned in an emphatic solo block before Kandler delivered the championship-clinching kill.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- In a back-and-forth match that saw 10 lead changes and 29 tied scores, both teams hit .207 for the contest.
- While VCU hit .207 for the match, it hit .378 and .326 in the first and third sets, respectively.
- The Rams’ defense limited A-10 Player of the Year Amber Erhahon to just a .115 hitting percentage.
Courtesy of Dayton Athletics
PITTSBURGH – The University of Dayton volleyball team came up short against VCU, 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-13), in the finals of the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship. The three-day event was hosted by Duquesne at the Dukes’ Palumbo Center.
Dayton moves to 23-8 on the season while VCU improves to 30-2.
Senior Jessica Sloan and juniors Kendyll Brown and Lauren Bruns were named to the All-Championship Team following the match.
KEY STATS
- Sloan led three Flyers in double-digit kills with 16 and also tallied 13 digs for the double-double while also tallying two blocks, two assists and one service ace
- Brown and Bruns added 11 kills each. Senior Amber Erhahon led a ferocious Flyer block with 11 stuffs to go with her eight kills
- Sophomore Mackenzie Weaver narrowly missed the double-double with nine kills and 14 digs and junior Margo Wolf got under a match-high 19 digs
- Freshman Bridget Doherty (28 assists) and senior Jane Emmenecker (26 assists) split time at setter, recording six digs apiece
- For the match, both teams hit .207 as Dayton tallied 62 kills to VCU’s 60
- The Rams were led by the championship’s Most Outstanding Player Vicky Giommarini with 16 kills and 15 digs.
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