The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team ended Homecoming Weekend with an exclamation point, upsetting 10th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis in four sets after defeating the University of Rochester in five sets as part of the second University Athletic Association Round Robin on Sunday at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

The Spartans (12-11, 3-2 UAA) bested the Yellowjackets (3-15, 0-5 UAA) 19-25, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 15-7 before defeating the Bears (16-4, 3-2 UAA) 21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 27-25.

Stats and Standouts

• Senior outside hitter Kalli Wall led the team with 30 kills during the day
• Senior middle blocker Amanda Ngo had 22 kills and nine blocks, and senior middle blocker Kiya Levy totaled 10 blocks, including six against Rochester
• Junior defensive specialist Sude Naz Item had a career-high five service aces against WashU, and sophomore setter Elena Esquivel totaled seven aces along with 55 assists 
• Sophomore defensive specialist Sophia Datto paced the squad with 41 digs, including 28 against WashU, with first-year defensive specialist Thea Beran adding 26 across the two matches

CWRU 3, Rochester 2 (19-25, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 15-7)

First Set

• The Spartans jumped out to a three-point lead, 8-5, its largest of the first set, before won eight of the next 10 points to gain a 13-10 advantage
• Using three consecutive kills by Ngo, CWRU cut its deficit to one, 17-16
• A block by Ngo and Esquivel followed by a kill by Wall again brought the Spartans within one, 19-18
• However, the visitors claimed six of the final seven points to win the opening stanza

Second Set

• CWRU led by six early in the second stanza, 9-3, looking to even the match score at one
• Rochester cut its deficit to three, 10-7, but the Spartans responded by taking the next four points, including a pair of blocks by Ngo
• The Yellowjackets continued to battle, cutting the deficit to three at 21-18, and later two, 22-20 
• A service error by the visitors and an ace from Beran gave the Spartans the serve for set point at 24-20
• Back-to-back kills kept Rochester in the set, but Wall finished the stanza with a kill

Third Set

• Leading 8-7 in the third set, the Spartans used a 4-0 run on the service of sophomore setter Avery Basinger to take a five-point edge
• The hosts increased their lead to seven, 20-13, with three points in a row
• A service ace by Levy gave the team a 22-14 lead, and the Spartans ended the set with three winning rallies, to take a two sets to one edge

Fourth Set

• A pair of 4-0 runs helped the Yellowjackets take a 16-10 lead in the fourth set with the visitors hoping to force a decisive fifth stanza
• Trailing 18-13, the Spartans won seven consecutive points on the service of Esquivel to take a 20-18 lead
• Wall had two kills and a block during the run with Levy adding a pair of blocks
• Rochester responded with three points in a row to reclaim the lead, but Wall and Levy blocked an attack to tie the score at 21
• Rochester ended the period with four consecutive points to send the match to a fifth set

Fifth Set

• CWRU won seven of the first nine points in the final set 
• Rochester cut its deficit to three, 10-7, with a kill
• However, a service error started a match-ending 5-0 Spartan run, securing the victory for the home team

CWRU 3, #10 WashU 1 (21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 27-25)

First Set

• Trailing 6-5 early, the Bears used a 10-2 run to take a seven-point lead in the opening set
• The Spartans responded by taking eight of the next 10 points, closing the gap to just one, 17-16
• Three consecutive kills gave the visitors a 20-16 edge, but the Spartans responded with a 4-1 run of their own, making the score 21-20 on an ace by Basinger
• WashU took control winning the next three points and closing out the set on a kill

Second Set

• The hosts held an 8-4 lead early in the second stanza that was quickly erased with a 4-0 run
• However, three consecutive Ngo kills started a 5-0 Spartan run
• Later, an eight-point rally on Item's serve turned a 15-11 lead into a 23-11 advantage
• Four points later, a kill by Ngo put an exclamation point on a 25-13 win to even the match score at one

Third Set

• Facing an early 7-6 deficit in the pivotal third stanza, the Spartans went on a 5-0 run on the service of Levy and followed a Bear kill with a 6-0 run on the service of Basinger to take a commanding 17-8 lead
• Junior outside hitter Emily Goodpaster secured a pair of kills during the second run, and Ngo added a kill, two blocks, and an assist
• The Bears were able to cut the deficit to six, 24-18, but sophomore right-side hitter Madeline Halter gave CWRU a two sets to one lead with a kill

Fourth Set

• Sensing an upset, Case Western Reserve fed off the energy of the home crowd to open the fourth set with an 8-1 run
• Trailing 10-3, WashU won nine of next 10 points to take a 12-11 advantage, but an attacking error tied the score at 12
• After the Bears won the next two points, the teams traded points until a trio of WashU errors gave the Spartans a 19-18 lead
• The advantage was short-lived with the visitors claiming four of the next five rallies to pull ahead 22-20
• Ngo and Wall delivered back-to-back kills to tie the score, and after a WashU kill, the Spartans forced an attacking error
• Levy put the team one point away from victory with a kill, but the Bears would not go away, winning the next two points to serve for the set
• Wall buried a kill to tie the score, Item aced a serve, and Halter clinched the upset with her ninth kill of the match

Spartan Notes

• CWRU has defeated WashU at least once in each of the past three seasons, claiming three of the past four meetings between the schools
• The Spartans have won 10 consecutive matches against the Yellowjackets in a streak that dates back to 2017. Prior to a pair of losses in 2016, CWRU had won 12 in a row against Rochester
• Case Western Reserve is tied for third in the conference with two UAA matches remainging 
• The team had a .224 hitting percentage across the two matches, totaling 100 kills in the nine sets
• Case Western Reserve has won its last four matches, and six of its last eight, to climb above .500 for the first time this season
• Ngo moved into seventh place in program history in total blocks, finishing the day with 285 across four seasons
• Wall ranks 15th in program history in career kills and is 68 kills away from becoming the 14th member of the 1,000-kill club in program history

Up Next

The Spartans will take the short trip to crosstown rival John Carroll on Wednesday, October 15 for a midweek non-conference matchup. The first serve is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.