The UChicago volleyball team won its 11th consecutive game this past Saturday against Elmhurst College, making it undefeated in the Elmhurst Quadrangular. This victory improved their record to an impressive 17–3. The Maroons held the upper hand throughout the match, sweeping Elmhurst with scores of 25–19, 25–16, and 25–19. The Maroons collected 46 total kills as a team, with second-year Anabella Pinton, third-year Audrey Scrafford, and third-year Sarah Muisenga all reaching double digits. Star first-year Emma Griffith had 41 of the team’s 45 assists. The team also put up an impressive 62 digs, 20 of which came from second-year libero Anne Marie Stifter.
“This weekend, the team played really well as a whole,” first-year Hadley Grundman said. “We came out strong in our first set. In the second set we struggled a bit in the beginning but came together in the end to win that set, and eventually the match. With the team losing one of our starters, Aasha Dave did a great job of filling in that role, and the team did a great job of supporting her and getting the job done! This was such an exciting win!”
While the match was one-sided in UChicago’s favor, the Bluejays competed well in each set. Elmhurst delivered more overall blocks and aces than the Maroons, making the match closer than the final score indicated. Second-year Kelly Townsend had 27 assists for the Bluejays, while first-year Rachel Shuty led the team with 12 digs. However, these efforts were not enough to overcome the red-hot Maroons, who are establishing themselves as one of the top DIII volleyball programs in the country. With this win, the University of Chicago volleyball team has held onto its impressive rank of No. 16, and the team is eager to keep moving up the list.
This weekend, the University of Chicago will be hosting the University Athletic Association (UAA) Round Robin #2. Every team in the UAA will be competing. The Maroons’ first game is against New York University on Saturday, October 14, at 12:30 p.m. NYU is 4–16 overall, with a record of 0–3 in conference games. The Maroons are well set to win their 12th straight match against this opponent.
The Maroons will then play later that same day, against Carnegie Mellon. This match will be one of the toughest yet for the Maroons, as Carnegie Mellon is ranked 10th with an overall record of 18–1. However, with the way UChicago has been playing recently, the Maroons stand a good chance at upsetting the Tartans.
On Sunday, October 15 at 2 p.m., the Maroons will be facing Wash U, another great program. The Bears are ranked 21st with a record of 16–4, and as such this will be another difficult task for the Maroons. Despite the fierce competition, the University of Chicago volleyball team holds the talent, skill, and competitiveness to come out of this weekend unscathed. Please come support them as they attempt to extend this amazing win streak.
