WALTHAM, Mass. -- Down 1-0 after the first set, the Case Western Reserve University volleyball team rallied to defeat the top-ranked program in the country, Washington University (Mo.), in a 3-1 decision on Sunday, October 17 on day two of the University Athletic Association Round Robin #2 at the campus of Brandeis University (Mass.).  In the day's second tilt, the Spartans dismissed the University of Rochester in straight sets (26-24, 25-11, 25-21).

In a historic win for the program Case rebounded, just one day after falling to the No. 17 Chicago Maroons in a hard-fought 3-2 match, to take down one of the most prominent powerhouses in Division III volleyball, and the current No. 1 team in Washington University in St. Louis. After the day's matches, Case improved to 19-7 overall (4-3 UAA). Washington University dropped to 23-2 (5-2 UAA) and Rochester fell to 11-13 (0-7 UAA).

Case lost a very close first set to the defending national champions, 24-26, before coming back to dominate in the second frame, 25-14. In the second set the Spartans compiled a whopping .455 hit percentage, committing just three errors. With all the momentum in the Spartans' favor, Case closed out the remaining two sets by scores of 31-29 and 25-19. For the match, Case hit .353 and had three players reach double-digits in kills.

Case was led by junior middle blocker Tricia McCutchan (Hamilton, OH/Stephen T. Badin), who amassed 25 kills against just one error for a .558 hit percentage. McCutchan also added a solo block to go along with four block assists. Junior outside hitter Rachael Suchy (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) added 20 kills for her second-best kill total of the season and hit .455 in the match. Senior outside hitter Beth Karpinski (Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake) totaled 11 kills and seven digs for another solid all-around game, while sophomore setter Breana Freeman (Geneva, OH/Geneva) had a season-high 57 assists to pace the offense. Freeman also led the squad with 17 digs, as sophomore libero Rachel Gulasey (Cleveland, OH/Magnificat) and senior defensive specialist Maggie Nofel (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville) each added 12 digs to the Spartan defensive effort.

"Our players battled for every point and stayed focused and confident," head coach Karen Chambers said. "It was a great victory for our program, and we look forward to hosting the championships in a couple weeks."

At the upcoming UAA Championships, the Spartans will hold the five seed after an afternoon sweep of Rochester, which sealed a 4-3 regular season record for Case in University Athletic Association play. The team finishes conference play in a tie for fourth-place, but dropped the head-to-head matchup with Chicago on Saturday to lose the positioning tie-breaker.

In the day's second match, the Spartans avoided an afternoon letdown by knocking off Rochester in three sets. Case hit .304 to win the second set by a score of 25-11; the team's biggest set win of the weekend. Sophomore middle hitter Allie Palmer (Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake) tallied 10 kills and hit an efficient .455 to pace the Case offense. Freeman again orchestrated the attack with 27 assists, and also contributed 11 digs. Gulasey added another 17 digs to lead the defense.

With UAA play wrapped up until the conference championships, which will be held on November 5 and 6 on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, the Spartans will have the week off before coming back home to square off with Thiel College (PA) on Saturday, October 23 at 1:00 p.m.