The NYU women’s volleyball team will start a run of five away games this weekend in Pittsburgh, PA. On Sunday at 10 a.m., they will first play the University of Rochester, currently eighth in the UAA with a 0-5 conference record. At 2 p.m., the team will play the UAA’s first-place team, Emory University, who have not lost a game in the conference this season.
Ahead of this week’s round of conference games, our staff at WSN have made a couple of predictions — some of them substantive, some of them not so much.
Disclaimer: These predictions are just for fun and are not to be taken seriously. The WSN staff is, in fact, not liable for any of the events that transpire in the games cited below.
Alisia Houghtaling, Multimedia Editor
University of Rochester: 3-0 W
Emory University: 3-2 W
Looking at NYU’s statistics versus the University of Rochester’s, there is, obviously, a strong team: us. The Violets’ kills statistics are better than the Yellowjackets’ and I believe our hitters will have a great game. I hope Rochester is able to put up a fight — and I’m sure they will — but I do not expect a Violet loss.
I think Emory University will be a tough game, but we will prevail. It was hard to compare statistics since they’ve only played 18 games, while we’ve played 25, so I couldn’t whip up anything mathematical.
However, from what I am seeing, we seem to have pretty similar statistics per set. So it will be a tough but good win. I am also an Emory fan because my dad went there, but I’m an even bigger NYU fan because I do, in fact, go here. I wish the Violets well and I can’t wait to watch the games!
Emily Genova, Managing Editor
University of Rochester: 3-1 W
Emory University: 2-3 L
My past staff predictions prove I have no credibility, but alas. I was a little too optimistic last time, so I am trying a different approach.
I actually think that NYU will sweep the University of Rochester, but thought I’d give the team a lost set to take some pressure off. The Violets have a successful history against the Yellowjackets, having won their last eight games against them and dominated in three consecutive sets in their last six games. I figured giving the Violets some grace would be kind — 3-1.
The Violets don’t have as strong of a winning history with Emory University, with the past few years of games being back-and-forth wins and losses. I think it will be a close game, and the Eagles are a great team — 2-3. Best-case scenario, I’m wrong with this prediction yet again, and the Violets will have a winning weekend in Pennsylvania.
Jonathan Mak and Sidney Snider, Sports Editors
University of Rochester: 3-0 W
Emory University: 3-2 W
The Violets have not performed well in their recent UAA matches, holding a 2-3 record — already worse than last year’s 5-2 when they fell to the second seed. However, they are hitting form at the right time, sweeping their last three opponents in straight sets. The attack seems to be more cohesive and the team isn’t making as many mistakes on the defensive side of the ball.
We hope this continues, especially against Rochester, who sit at the bottom of the conference and have a 10-13 record. The Violets haven’t lost to this team since 2017 and have only dropped three sets to the Yellowjackets in their last eight matches.
Emory will be NYU’s toughest match in the regular season. The No. 5-ranked Eagles hold the top seed in the UAA and have a strong 17-1 record overall — their only loss was against Johns Hopkins University, who is ranked third. The Violets defeated Emory to win the UAA Championship last season, and we can assume the Eagles want revenge — we hope it’ll be enough motivation for NYU to win their first five-set match this season.
Krish Dev, Director of Creative & Digital Strategy
University of Rochester: 3-0 W
Emory University: 3-0 W
In October, the Violets played nine matches, winning six and losing three, for an overall record of 16-9. Heading into this week, NYU is riding a three-match sweep streak and looks to be in peak midseason form.
I’m optimistic about their first matchup, and for good reason — the Violets haven’t lost to the University of Rochester in seven years and have swept them 3-0 in the last six encounters, all away from home. First-year libero Felicia Wu has been a standout performer recently, and I expect her to tally at least five aces against the Yellowjackets, who have a poor 2-10 record at neutral venues this season.
On the other hand, I’m more cautious about predicting a sweep against Emory University. The Eagles have an imposing 17-1 record, and NYU has only won four out of its past 27 matchups against them. However, all of those victories have come in the last seven meetings, and something tells me that NYU might pull off its first-ever sweep against the Eagles, handing the team its first loss in 50 days.
Levi Langley, Deputy Sports Editor
University of Rochester: 3-1 W
Emory University: 1-3 L
As a former volleyball player myself, I feel better equipped than my peers to predict this upcoming round of UAA play. On account of the Violets’ performance throughout the season thus far, it is important I bear in mind the mixed signals they are sending.
Due to last year’s heavy graduating class, the team is dealing with a young and somewhat inexperienced roster. While this fresh lineup is exciting, it seems as though the team is still in the process of fleshing out their instabilities, stemming from a lack of court time together. Despite my efforts to be naively hopeful for the Violets, I am choosing to be a realist and respond to this prediction with another set of mixed signals — one win and one loss.
With all of that said, there is still one area of the game in which the Violets remain consistent: taking a match to four sets. Over half of their matches this season have gone to four sets, so in an effort to be the only writer that comes out of this with an accurate prediction, I am choosing to stick with the trend.
Logan Holland, Deputy Sports Editor
University of Rochester: 3-0 W
Emory University: 3-2 W
Despite a shaky start to the season, the Violets are entering Sunday’s game against the University of Rochester with a ton of confidence after four consecutive 3-0 victories.
NYU has 219 serving aces in the books, the highest in conference and over 70 more than second-place Emory, and with a stellar sophomore season from outside hitter Grace Nelson — ranking second in the UAA in kills with 309 — I predict the Violets will dominate the scoreboard mega-tycoon style.
The Yellowjackets also average the fewest kills per set among UAA teams, and I reckon they’ll struggle to score against NYU’s defense led by libero Yooni Park. Nothing gets past her — Park leads the UAA with 497 digs.
Emory University is a different monster entirely — the team hasn’t lost a game in nearly two months and will be seeking their revenge against the Violets from last year’s UAA Championship final.
Led by four seniors and averaging 13.7 kills a game, Emory is an offensive beast that’ll present NYU with its most difficult matchup yet. Both teams can put up points at a high clip, so the winner of this game will be determined by who can get critical, late-game stops. My money — only Monopoly — is on the Violets.
Contact Alisia, Emily, Jonathan, Krish, Levi, Logan and Sidney at [email protected].
