SPORTS

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Three up, three down.

The Davidson volleyball team won its third match of the week Sunday, downing George Mason 3-1 in Atlantic 10 play.

The Wildcats improved to 10-8 overall and 3-4 in the A-10 two days after beating George Washington by the same score, also in Belk Arena. The week also included a 3-0 non-conference victory at N.C. Central on Tuesday.

The three-match win streak matches the best of the season for the Wildcats, who defeated Marist, William & Mary and Charlotte in order in August.

“We went into this week thinking we had an opportunity for some good performances, and it was really nice to see the fruits of the hard work,” said Davidson coach Chris Willis. “Our ability to minimize errors in these last three matches has been huge.”

On Sunday, Davidson cruised to a 25-14 first set victory after racing to a 17-4 lead, which included five kills by Ciera Cockrell. George Mason (6-11, 4-3) responded with a 25-22 win in the second set before Davidson closed the win with 26-24 and 25-22 victories in the third and fourth.

“I saw a gritty effort when we didn’t necessarily execute at a high level during the middle portion of the match,” said Willis. “Our players stayed in it, and it helped them finish strong in the last two sets.”

One match after posting her nation-leading fifth triple-double, Wildcat Mason Rooney led the way with 16 kills and 21 assists. Cockrell finished with 13 kills, and Hattie Rodriguez added 12. Sydney Champaigne had a team-high 22 assists, and Josie Treadwell led with 23 digs.

Needing a conference win to stay in the hunt for one of six spots in the Atlantic 10 tournament, the Davidson Wildcats secured one Friday night.

Senior Mason Rooney turned in her nation-leading fifth triple-double to lead the Wildcats to a 3-1 win over George Washington in Belk Arena.

“Knowing that the difference between eighth and fifth place was one match entering tonight, it’s a huge win for us,” Davidson coach Chris Willis said. “And for us to secure a spot in the A-10 tournament, we’ve got to have these kinds of performances. That was huge.”

It’s the second straight win for Davidson, which defeated N.C. Central 3-0 in non-conference play Tuesday night. The Wildcats are now 9-8 overall and 2-4 in the A-10.

Rooney finished with 17 kills, 21 assists and 12 digs and set the tone with a .536 hitting percentage as the Wildcats finished with a .290 to .082 advantage. Hattie Rodriguez added 11 kills, while Ciera Cockrell and Katharine Franz added nine and seven kills, respectively.

“I thought to be successful tonight, we had to hit well at the pins,” Willis said. “Mason, Katharine, Ciera and Hattie really executed for us out there and scored.”

Davidson, which had 10 total blocks, won the first and third sets 25-12, dropped the second 27-25 and finished with a 25-19 win in the fourth. Sydney Champaigne had a team-high 23 assists, Josie Treadwell had a team-best 24 digs and Elise Edman led the way with four service aces.

George Washington (8-10, 2-4) was led by Skylar Iott’s 13 kills, Jaimeson Lee’s 40 assists and Bella Bowman’s 32 digs.

Up Next
The Wildcats will play their next two matches on the road. They visit Fordham Friday, Oct. 19 at noon and play at Rhode Island two days later.