Women’s volleyball one win away from the United East Conference championship

The Gallaudet University women’s volleyball team won its quarterfinal and semifinal matches in the United East Conference tournament. With a win tomorrow against second-seeded Lancaster Bible College, they will repeat as conference champions and earn an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament later this month.

Gallaudet was 27-4 during the regular season, and was 10-0 in conference play. They were also undefeated in home and away matches, with their only losses coming at neutral sites. The team is currently ranked first in NCAA Division III in service aces; in addition, outside hitter Brielle Worley, a sophomore from Amarillo, Texas, leads all NCAA Division III players in kills.

As first seed in the conference, the Bison have had home court advantage throughout the tournament. They had a first-round bye, then won their quarterfinal match against #8 seed Keystone College on Saturday, November 9, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 28-26). This past Tuesday, they put away Penn State Harrisburg, the #4 seed, 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-14). This straight-sets win was especially significant because the two teams played to five sets during their regular season meeting on October 15.

The championship match is on Saturday, November 16 at 5 p.m. in the Gallaudet University Field House.