The women’s volleyball team solidly defeated the University of Maryland-Baltimore County 3-1 in Wednesday’s season opener at the Smith Center.
The four-game victory for the Colonial women also marked the first career victory for GW’s new head coach Yvette Moorehead.
“It was good to get the first game over with,” Moorehead said. “We still have lots of stuff to improve on.”
Led by senior outside hitter Gabriela Mojska, GW overcame an opening-game loss and pounded UMBC in the final three games of the match. Mojska registered a double-double with a game-high 16 kills and 10 digs.
The Colonial women finished off UMBC in the final game of the match, winning 15-8 after jumping out to a 10-1 lead. GW had 11 kills and only four errors in the game. UMBC’s shaky play in the game was evident as they committed a match-high 11 errors.
After playing through opening-game jitters and a 15-11 loss in game one, GW took control of the second game and set the tone for the rest of the match. The Colonial women had 13 kills and two errors in the second game, combining for an impressive .524 attack percentage. GW darted out to an 8-0 lead and coasted from there 15-4. The Colonial women had a match-high 16 kills and only six errors in GW’s 15-9 third-game victory.
Junior middle blocker Julie Jahnke was a strong inside force as she contributed 10 kills in the match. Junior co-captain Jill Levey played a solid match with 34 assists for the Colonial women. Levey’s diving efforts to save various UMBC sideouts and points drew a standing ovation from many of the 255 fans in attendance. Senior outside hitter Theresa Ridder added nine kills and seven digs for the Colonial women.
GW continues its season this weekend at the University Park Holiday Inn Classic in Fort Collins, Colo. GW will face host Colorado State University Friday night and will then play Loyola Marymount and Southeast Missouri State universities Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The team will not play another home game at the Smith Center until it hosts a tough Temple team, beginning the home portion of its Atlantic 10 schedule Sept. 24.
