After the first full week of classes, W&L’s most successful fall sports team traveled to Lancaster, Pa., and once again dominated.
General’s Volleyball beat both Franklin and Marshall College and Keystone College, and the team extended its undefeated streak to 10 games. The Generals did not lose a set all weekend and have only lost one of the 30 they have played this fall.
The team entered the weekend as the No. 9 ranked team in Division III on the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. By Tuesday, they had risen to No. 6.
The team’s No. 6 overall ranking is two spots higher than a No. 8 finish at the end of last season, when the 2024 team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. The season ended with a loss to No. 2 Hope College. The Generals ended the season with a 35-3 record.
“The team last year set a great precedent for what’s to come this year,” said outside hitter Allison Young, ’28. “We emphasize no expectations and high standards in the program, so we don’t take anything regarding our time in the gym for granted.”
Middle blocker Stephanie Lynch, ’27, said the team can improve by “continuing to trust in our systems, each other and our hard work that we have put in so far this season.”
Lynch said the Generals hope this approach will allow the team to reach their goals, which are to host and win the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship and to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
The players said their team has strengths that they can build on. Young described her team as “gritty,” and Lynch cited their closeness.
So far this season, outside hitter Grace Mitchener, ’27, has earned two ODAC player of the week selections, which is more than any other Washington and Lee athlete this fall.
The Generals will play two ranked teams before the postseason: No. 21 Christopher Newport University and No. 5 Emory University. These two teams could be the toughest obstacles for Washington and Lee in the regular season.
On Saturday, the Generals’ dropped their first match of the season, falling to Lynchburg in a five-set thriller. In that match, outside hitter Riley Debiec, ’26, reached 1,000 career kills.
The Generals’ next game is Sept. 24 at Bridgewater College, and their next home game is against Guilford College on Oct. 3.
