In 2024, the Case Western Reserve University volleyball team reached the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 24-8 and made their fourth all-time playoff appearance.
CWRU traveled to Hope College in Holland, Michigan, for the second consecutive season and faced the University of Dubuque in the first round of the postseason. The Spartans fell in five sets, 25-18, 25-20, 24-26, 21-25, 6-15.
The team began the season with 12 consecutive wins, including six by sweep. The 12-match winning streak set a program record for most wins in a row and the 12-0 start to the campaign was the best in the team's history. During the run, the Spartans defeated Mount Union and Baldwin Wallace in five sets and secured victories over four eventual NCAA Tournament teams in Greenville, Allegheny, Wisconsin Platteville, and Ohio Wesleyan. Later in the season, CWRU took down Otterbein, who also reached the postseason, in four sets.
Case Western Reserve went 5-2 in conference play, tying for second in the University Athletic Association regular season standings. Six of the league's eight teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament with Emory advancing to the national quarterfinals.
At the first UAA Round Robin, the Spartans defeated Rochester, upset eighth-ranked WashU, and took league champion Emory to five sets, the only conference foe to win multiple sets against the Eagles. After splitting the second UAA round robin, CWRU defeated Carnegie Mellon and Chicago in Pittsburgh to secure the second seed in the UAA Championship for the first time in program history. The Spartans advanced to the conference semifinals for the second consecutive year and finished fourth after a pair of losses.
For the first time in program history, the Spartans had two players recognized as All-Americans in the same season.
Junior middle blocker Amanda Ngo was named to the AVCA All-America Third Team after starting all 32 matches for CWRU and appearing in 112 sets. She led the team in blocks, totaling 108.0 in 2024 for 0.96 per set (which ranked 64th in Division III). Offensively, Ngo was second on the team with 290 kills, averaging 2.59 per set, and her .300 hitting percentage was the best on the team.
Senior outside hitter Rea Marfatia received All-American honorable mention by appearing in all 125 sets this season and leading the team with 466.0 points (3.73 per set), 406 kills (3.25 per set), and 36 service aces (0.29 per set). She ranked second on the squad with 381 digs (3.05 per set) and has added 42.0 total blocks.
Ngo and Marfatia became the first CWRU pair of teammates to receive All-UAA First Team selection in the same season. Senior setter/right side hitter Carly Scott and senior middle blocker Lily Crouch both received All-UAA honorable mention for the first time in their careers. Scott appeared in all 125 sets during the season and ended the campaign with a team-leading 770 assists in 31 matches. Scott also recorded 348 digs (2.78 per set), which ranked third on the team, and 62.0 total blocks, which was fourth most on the squad. Crouch appeared in 30 matches and 97 sets for the Spartans in 2024. She ranked second on the team in total blocks (97.0), third in points (241.5), and fifth in kills (166) and service aces (15).
The team excelled at the net during the season, ranking 22nd in Division III in blocks per set and 10th in the country in total blocks. Three players, Ngo, Crouch, and junior outside hitter Kalli Wall had at least 75 total blocks during the season. Junior middle blocker Kiya Levy averaged 0.92 blocks per set, stopping 61.0 attacks in 27 matches. Wall also ranked third on the team with 190 kills (1.71 per set) and appeared in all but one of the team's matches.
First-year Sophia Datto led the team with 419 digs (3.43 per set) and appeared in every match during her collegiate debut season. Both senior right-side hitter Chloe Maciejewski and sophomore outside hitter Emily Goodpaster missed just one match during the season. Maciejewski was fourth on the team with 172 kills (1.58 per set), and Goodpaster ranked fourth on the squad with 209 digs (2.15 per set).
Members of the Spartan volleyball team earned the following honors during the 2024 season:
UAA Athlete of the Week
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Rea Marfatia
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November 4 (Offense)
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Carly Scott
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September 9 (Defense/Setting), October 28 (Defense/Setting)
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2024 Season Leaders
CWRU in the final NCAA Division III team rankings (out of 417 ranked teams)
Category
|
Rank
|
Value
|
Aces Per Set
|
406
|
1.23
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Assists Per Set
|
80
|
11.34
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Blocks Per Set
|
22
|
2.22
|
Digs Per Set
|
86
|
17.26
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Hitting Percentage
|
50
|
.217
|
Kills Per Set
|
77
|
12.4
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Match W/L Percentage
|
46
|
.750
|
Opp. Hitting Percentage
|
193
|
.157
|
Team Assists
|
25
|
1,418
|
Team Attacks Per Set
|
104
|
36.58
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Team Digs
|
19
|
2,158
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Team Kills
|
23
|
1,550
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Team Service Aces
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351
|
154
|
Team Total Attacks
|
23
|
1,572
|
Team Total Blocks
|
10
|
278.0
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CWRU individuals in final NCAA Division III rankings (top 250 players ranked)