SPORTS

 

‘Cats Sweep George Washington in Friday Matinee

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Hattie Rodriguez recorded a match-high 13 kills and Bella Brady picked up 19 digs to lead Davidson to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-20) blanking of George Washington Friday afternoon inside Belk Arena.

Winners of three straight, the Wildcats improve to 7-7 on the season and 3-1 in league play, while the Colonials remain winless falling to 0-14 and 0-3.

Davidson gabbed control from the start jumping out to a 12-6 advantage in the first set, as the ‘Cats would lead by as many as 10 following consecutive kills from Rodriguez before taking the opener, 25-19.

Trailing 11-9 in the second, the Wildcats responded with a 9-0 run capped by an Anela Davis kill to go in front, 18-11. After the Colonials cut the deficit to 20-16, Davidson answered yet again, winning five of the last seven points to go up 2-0 in the match.

Much like the previous set, Davidson used a lengthy run to set the tone, this time it was an 11-4 streak that forced the visitors to burn a pair of timeouts. Out of the second stoppage, the Wildcats continued their spurt reeling off four straight to all but put the match away.

Jessie Doyal finished with 16 assists and 12 digs of her own, while Xuan Nguyen also added double-digit assist for the ‘Cats with 11.

Liv Womble paced the Colonials with 8 kills and a .286 hitting percentage.

In addition to charting 39 kills, the Wildcats were impressive on the defensive end holding the Colonials to a .033 clip.

Davidson Extends Win-Streak to Four, Sweeps George Mason

DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson Wildcats continued their electric start to Atlantic 10 play on Sunday, defeating George Mason in three-straight sets for the team’s best start to A-10 action in program history, and best conference start since 2010.

En route to an 8-7 overall record and 4-1 ledger in A-10 play, Davidson has now won 10 straight sets, four straight matches and is on its longest conference win streak since 2018.

Hattie Rodriguez paced Davidson’s high-quality offense, which swung .300 as a team, as the senior attacker accumulated 15 kills and hit a season-best .412 attacking percentage. Middle blockers Anela Davis and Sola Omonije were forces at the net, holding George Mason’s attack to a .091 clip, as Davis hit .417 (6 kills, 12 attempts) and Omonije swung .455 (6 kills, 11 attempts). Davis and Lauryn Albold were also stellar on the block for Davidson, combining for two solo blocks and 11 block assists.

Despite the win, George Mason was the one to jump out to an early lead in set one, pulling away to an 11-7 advantage, and forcing the ‘Cats into a timeout. Following the break, Davis came up with a clutch kill, followed by back-to-back block assists with Albold, which shifted the set’s momentum into Davidson’s favor. After exchanging points and trailing by one for the majority of the set, the ‘Cats finally settled the score at 18-all thanks to one of George Mason’s four ball handling errors on the day. From there, libero Bella Brady aced the Patriots with back-to-back serves and solidified Davidson’s 25-22 set one win.

After set one, the Wildcats dominated the remainder of the match. In set two rookie Isabel Decker served the ‘Cats into a 10-0 lead, while Davidson also came up with three blocks at the net to shut down any Patriot threat. With the 25-13 set two win, the Wildcats went on to attack at a .382 hitting percentage, along with 17 kills, in the third and sealed the deal with a 25-16 victory.

Jessie Doyal finished the day with 21 assists, followed by 17 from Xuan Nguyen, and Brady added 16 digs to the scoresheet. Nguyen and Brady also served three aces apiece on their way to a Wildcat victory.

Davidson will return to action for a two-match road trip next weekend, taking on league-power Dayton on Saturday, before visiting Duquesne on Sunday.