Tartans Open UAA Play at Home

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University volleyball team opened University Athletic Association (UAA) play with two tough matches against 15th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Chicago on Saturday, October 1 at home in Skibo Gymnasium. The Bears defeated the 16th-ranked Tartans, 3-1, while the Maroons also upended the Tartans by a 3-2 score.

The Tartans (15-4) were led by sophomore Lauren Mueller (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown STEM Academy) with 13 kills against Washington University. Senior Emily Newton (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Chadwick School) tallied 32 assists and nine digs while senior Molly Higgins (Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach) had 23 digs. Junior Eliza Donohue (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) had five block solos and two block assists at the net as the Bears won by 25-19, 19-25, 25-17, and 25-13 scores.

Against Chicago, the Tartans forced a fifth set after winning sets three and four. The Maroons then rallied to win the fifth and deciding set, 15-12.

Junior Heather Holton (Haslett, Mich./Haslett) led the attack with 14 kills in 53 attempts while Mueller had another 13 kills. Sophomore Sarah Jurgens (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) and Donohue also tallied double-digit kills with 10 apiece. Newton finished with 43 assists. Defensively, Higgins led with 28 digs as Donohue and Jurgens each had two block solos.

The Tartans will continue UAA action on Sunday when they face Brandeis University at 10:00 a.m.