The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team split a pair of matches on the first day of the 2025 University Athletic Association Championship hosted by Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, at the Gosman Athletic Center on Saturday.

The fifth-seeded Spartans fell to fourth-seeded Carnegie Mellon University in five sets to start the day before defeating the eighth-seeded University of Rochester in three sets. CWRU moved to 16-14 in 2025, while the Tartans improved to 23-8 and the Yellowjackets fell to 4-22.

Stats and Standouts

• Senior outside hitter Kalli Wall combined for 30 kills in the two matches, adding 10 digs and three blocks
• Senior middle blocker Amanda Ngo put down 21 kills and a team-high eight blocks on the day
• Junior outside hitter Emily Goodpaster recorded her first double-double of the season against Carnegie Mellon, recording 10 kills and 12 digs
• Sophomore setter Elena Esquivel had 42 assists, nine digs, and two blocks with sophomore setter Avery Basinger contributing 30 assists and 14 digs
• Sophomore defensive specialist Sophia Datto led the team with 37 digs

(5) CWRU 2, (4) Carnegie Mellon 3 (22-25, 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 10-15)

First Set (22-25)

• The teams battled early in the match with CMU taking a 13-7 lead with three consecutive kills
• A service error switched the serve to CWRU with Wall putting down a kill and the Tartans following with an attacking error to make the score 13-10
• However, Carnegie Mellon won the next four points, extending its lead to seven
• A 7-0 Spartan run tied the score at 21 with Ngo and senior middle blocker Kiya Levy recording kills during the stretch
• The teams traded the next two points before a Tartan block and two kills gave CMU an early 1-0 lead in the match

Second Set (25-19)

• Trailing 11-7 in the second stanza, Ngo put down three consecutive kills to ignite an 8-1 Spartan run that made the score 15-12 in favor of CWRU
• Carnegie Mellon cut the deficit to two, 18-16, but that was the closest the Tartans would come to tying the score as the Spartans concluded the set by winning seven of the final 10 points to even the match at 1

Third Set (25-19)

• Carnegie Mellon started the pivotal third set with a 7-3 run
• The Spartans tied the score at 12 and 13 before two Tartan points put CMU up 15-13
• A service error and service ace tied the score at 15, Ngo followed with a block and kills by Goodpaster and sophomore right-side hitter Madeline Halter gave CWRU an 18-15 edge
• CMU won the next two points, but the Spartans responded by winning the next five rallies
• The teams split the final four points with Case Western Reserve winning the set on a block by Goodpaster and Ngo

Fourth Set (21-25)

• Holding a 6-5 lead in the fourth set, Carnegie Mellon won five consecutive points to gain a six-point edge
• CWRU cut its deficit to one, 15-14, on a kill by Wall, but that would be the closest they would come to tying the score for the rest of the set
• The Tartans finished the period by winning five of the final eight points, forcing a decisive fifth set

Fifth Set (10-15)

• An 8-2 Carnegie Mellon in the middle of the set helped the Tartans take a seven-point lead in the set
• CWRU made the score 14-10, but fell on the next point to drop into the consolation bracket

(5) CWRU 3, (8) Rochester 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-18)

First Set (25-12)

• Leading 5-4 in the first set, the Spartans used an 8-1 run to take an eight-point lead
• Later in the stanza, CWRU won six of seven points to take a 20-8 edge, with Basinger and junior defensive specialist Sude Naz Item serving aces in the run
• Rochester cut its deficit to 10, but Ngo ended the set with a block to secure the 1-0 lead

Second Set (25-14)

• The Yellowjackets had a 7-6 advantage in the second set, but the Spartans tied the score on a kill by Goodpaster and won the next four points to take an 11-7 lead
• Rochester halved the deficit, but CWRU responded by taking nine of the following 12 rallies, extending its lead to eight
• Ahead by seven, Case Western Reserve won five of the final six points to take the second set

Third Set (25-18)

• With the Yellowjackets leading 8-6 in the third stanza, the Spartans used a 6-1 run to go ahead by three, 12-9
• The teams split the next eight points, and Rochester cut its deficit to two, 18-16 with a kill
• Wall responded with a kill to ignite a 6-0 Spartan run with the senior securing four of the team's six points on kills
• The Yellowjackets fought off a pair of set points before Wall finished the match with her 13th kill

Spartan Notes

• CWRU improved to 26-9 against Rochester since 2002, winning 11 consecutive matches in the series
• The Spartans dropped to 9-24 against the Tartans since 2002
• Case Western Reserve hit .289 against the Yellowjackets with Ngo hitting .368, Halter hitting .308 and Wall at .294
• Wall recorded double-digit kills for the 23rd time this season and increased her career total to 1,035 which ranks 12th in program history
• Ngo scored the 1,000th point of her career on Saturday, increasing her career total to 1,005.5 with 26.5 points in the two matches. She has 817 kills, 68 solo blocks, 245 block assists, and two service aces in her career. Ngo is the 18th player to reach the 1,000-point milestone
• CWRU secured its fourth winning season in a row with the win over Rochester

Up Next

The Spartans will conclude the 2025 season with the UAA Fifth-Place Match on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. CWRU will take on third-seeded Emory in the match.