By Will Pembroke, Sports Editor
This weekend at Cintas Center, Xavier volleyball hosted a tournament for the Universities of Virginia, Purdue Fort Wayne and Eastern Michigan. Following their stellar 3-0 performance in the Buffalo tournament the previous weekend, the Musketeers went 2-1 against the field at home, continuing to prove that the strong start to the season was no fluke.
The first match of the weekend would prove to be the most compelling, as Xavier took on the Virginia Cavaliers. Despite taking sets one and two, the Musketeers could not rally in the final three sets to hold off Virginia, losing 3-2. Xavier looked strong in the first two sets, winning 25-17 and 27-25. The Musketeers edged out the Cavaliers in kills 27-25 in the first two sets, a positive trend which would not continue in the final three. Xavier went on to drop the final three sets, two of which Virginia won by a combined four points.
Senior outside hitter Brooklyn Cink paced Xavier in kills with 17. Junior middle blocker Delaney Hogan led the way for the Musketeers in Aces and Blocks, with two and six apiece. Senior setter Carrigan O’Reilly also ended the match with 29 assists.
Xavier’s second match against Eastern Michigan was a dominating 3-1 performance. In sets one and two, Xavier won 25-14, finishing on top of the Eagles in every statistical category. Despite losing a close third set 25-23, the Musketeers rallied late to put the Eagles away for good in the fourth set 25-21.
Cink once again led Xavier with 15 kills. O’Reilly and sophomore setter Logan Flaugh played well for Xavier, tallying 23 and 22 assists apiece.
The final match of the weekend saw the Musketeers once again take the cake, beating the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons 3-0. The final match of the weekend for Xavier was never really close, as the Musketeers once again dominated the stat sheet, winning by no less than five points in each set.
Senior outside hitter MaryAnn O’Toole finished the match with a team high of 11 kills, followed closely by junior middle blocker Hunter Fry who had nine. Flaugh and O’Reilly led the team in assists with 22 and 15 respectively. Graduate student middle blocker Angel Robinson also impressed with three blocks.
Looking ahead, Xavier Volleyball will take the court in the Louisville tournament this coming weekend. The Musketeers will face Lipscomb on Friday at 4:00 PM, followed by a match against either Louisville or Purdue on Saturday.