Volleyball Rallies For Win Over Gallaudet in Red Line Rivalry
Image courtesy of James Moore and Catholic Athletics.
By Sam Bergstrom
For the first time since September 5, the Catholic University women’s volleyball team has found their way into the win column. In a D.C. duel, with both schools residing two metro stops away from each other on the Red Line, Catholic beat the Gallaudet Bison 3-1 in sets on Wednesday night at Franny Murray Court.
The first set featured back-and-forth errors by both teams, but rallies eventually riled up midway through. Junior outside hitter Julia Raab found four kills, while junior setter Anna Maria Carella had five assists.
However, senior outside hitter Brielle Worley weaved 10 kills for Gallaudet, while freshman setter Gracie Gloster had 14 assists. The dynamic duo of Worley and Gloster were too lethal, and the Bison barreled their way to a 25-22 set one win.
The second set began with a setter dump by Carella, and the Cards cruised from there on. Notably, freshman defensive specialist Mia Campos Cruz stamped two straight service aces to give Catholic an 8-7 lead.
The Bison struggled with seven attack errors and five service errors in the second set. At match point, Gallaudet’s serve traveled out of play to give Catholic a 25-19 set two win.
Catholic had suffered four straight sweeps coming into this game, and finally won their first set since September 8. Needless to say, the Cards were now starving for a match victory.
In the third set, Catholic kept it rolling with a beautiful comeback. After trailing 10-6, the Cards regained the lead thanks to superb serving by Carella and senior setter Kate Berra.
During a 7-point run, Berra delivered four service aces to help Catholic take a 21-13 lead. Freshman middle blocker Kate Koslowski collected five kills, including one to cement their 25-17 set three victory.
The fourth set saw a dazzling display of action, with both teams combining for 29 kills. Catholic began to run away with a 19-13 lead, but the Bison bit back to tie it at 22-22. After an attack error by Raab, Gallaudet took their first lead of the set at 24-23.
With tensions high, Gallaudet committed two straight errors of their own to go down 25-24. In a win-by-two situation, Catholic needed one more point to win. Down to their last life, Worley swung a spike off of a double block out of bounds to tie it up at 25.
Sophomore middle blocker Juliette Cummings—who already had three kills in the fourth set—received a lob from Carella and found the back right corner for Catholic. The Cards were now desperate to shut the door and snap a six-game losing streak.
With match point looming at 26-25, Berra jumped and served it to the back, and the Bison bumped it right back over. With the ball just above the tape, sophomore middle blocker Caroline Welsh smashed it off the hands of Gallaudet libero Tori Harris out of bounds. After an exciting set, the Cards came out on top, 27-25.
In their 3-1 set victory, Julia Raab had 13 kills and five digs. Kate Koslowski had eight kills, with five of them coming in the third set. Along with her game-winning point, Caroline Welsh delivered 6 kills in total.
On the setter side, Anna Maria Carella had 21 assists and eight digs, while Kate Berra had 16 assists, four digs, and four aces. Mia Campos Cruz added 4 aces of her own as well.
Although Gallaudet outplayed the Cardinals in numerous offensive categories, they hindered themselves with 27 errors compared to Catholic’s 16. The Cards also had a .229 hitting percentage compared to the Bison’s .182.
Not only did they snap their six-game skid, but the Cardinals also claimed their first win at Franny Murray Court this season. It is also Catholic’s first victory over Gallaudet since October 12, 2022.
The Cardinals are back in action for two matches this Saturday at home. First, they will take on Lebanon Valley at 12 p.m. Then, they will battle Christopher Newport at 4 p.m.
