How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
LA VERNE, CALIF. - The women's volleyball team ended a spectacular season in defeat last night after falling to Washington University in St. Louis in the NCAA Division III national championship match. Despite the loss in three straight games, the Violets finished the season with a best-ever second place.
This was the third time NYU lost to Washington and the second time in a championship match. The Violets fell to the Bears in three games at the University Athletic Association Championships in November.
'We're still gonna celebrate,' Head Coach Ed Caesar said. 'When you lose to a team three times, you gotta tip your hat to them. We had our shots, but they're the No. 1 team.'
Caesar said the Violets couldn't overcome the Bears' strong defense and passing.
'We were up at the beginning of two of the games, but they're defense was just incredible. They really made an extra effort,' he said. 'Their passing was also extremely tough. They're an extremely disciplined team.'
The championship culminated the NCAA Final Four held at the La Verne Supertents in La Verne, Calif. The Violets beat Emory University in a close five-set match on Friday afternoon to advance to the championship against Washington.
Individual honors were also handed out at the Final Four this weekend. For the Violets, junior Jennifer Gardikas and sophomore Katya Khmelnitskaya earned spots on the NCAA Division III Championship All-Tournament team.
Going into the championship match, Washington had a distinct edge in championship experience on the national stage. Last year, Washington made it to the NCAA Division III championship, but fell to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the finals.
'They have a lot more experience than us, being in the finals last year,' Caesar said. 'I know they were really mad about making it last year. Maybe we can do the same thing next year.'
Sophomore Vanessa Biegen also credited the Bears' experience and felt the team was intimidated by the Bears.
'It's WashU,' she said. 'We just couldn't get over that name. They have a lot of confidence. It's that name. We couldn't get over that name.'
Caesar thought that No. 2 Washington was a tougher opponent than national No. 1 Juniata College. The Violets defeated the Eagles in the NCAA Elite Eight on Nov. 22 at Coles Sports Center.
'WashU actually got better as the season went on,' he said. 'They were night and day over Juniata.'
The Bears did not lose a single game in any of their matches played at La Verne. This is Washington's eighth national championship title and the first for Bears Head Coach Rich Luenemann.
Biegen led the Violet offense with 10 kills. Khmelnitskaya had 31 set assists and 10 digs. Jennifer Gardikas led the defense with 12 digs. Washington out-blocked NYU 9.5 to 2.
The Violets finished their groundbreaking season as the No. 2 team in Division III and with an overall season record of 40-5.
