VCU Volleyball headed to the Nation’s Capital for an A-10 match at George Washington. The Rams were on the clock as their 16 match winning streak was on the line Friday night; another 3-0 sweep was added to the Black & Gold collection with VCU putting in work against the Colonials.

Opening Shift

The opening set went back and forth at the start. GW scored the opening point which led to numerous ties between both teams as the match got underway. Tori Baldwin kept the Rams within striking distance with a pair of kills. VCU pulled ahead slightly at 12-9 before the Colonials regained the distance to tie it back up at 13-13.

Julia Adler arose late in the 1^st set with 2 kills that put the Rams back out in front. Accompanied by a few service errors, VCU was closing in on a 1^st set win. Gina Tuzzolo secured the opening set for the Black & Gold with the game-winning kill; VCU won Set 1 25-22.

Help From Everyone

Tuzzolo had help offensively during the 2^nd set. Vicky Giommarini and Alica Kandler scored kills early to put VCU up 7-4. GW turned the tide with 2 consecutive service aces during a 5 point rally to surge ahead 7-10.

Attacking errors by GW helped VCU score a 4 point rally with a service ace by Rebekah Strange as the exclamation point. The 2^nd set was notched at 20-20 when the Rams made their move with another 4 point swing. Giommarini collected her 7^th kill of the night to give VCU the 25-21 win in Set 2.

Errors, Kills, Victory

Set 3 started well for the Black & Gold. Baldwin and Kandler opened the third with kills followed by another ace by Strange. GW was able to get their bearings back as both teams once again traded the lead later in Set 3.

Things started going the Colonials way with a 6 point spread that forced Coach Rogers to call timeout. Trailing 13-15, VCU was fortunate with attacking errors by GW to tie things up at 15-15.

Errors benefited a 6-0 run for VCU which included a kill for Tuzzolo. The Colonials were not having any luck at the net as VCU’s blocking brigade was handling business during closing time. Baldwin finished the job with the last kill of the night as the Rams won set 3 25-20.

The streak is now at 17 consecutive victories for VCU Volleyball with a 3-0 win at George Washington. Gina Tuzzolo led the Rams with 9 kills and Vicky Giommarini added 8. Rebekah Strange had 17 digs, Dajah Ard dished 17 assists and Jasmin Sneed collected 8 blocks on the evening.

VCU Volleyball remains perfect in Atlantic 10 play at 6-0 and improves to 20-2 overall. Next up for the Rams is George Mason at Fairfax on Saturday, October 14^th. That match is set for a 7 PM start.

Mark Turner

Mark graduated from VCU in 2014 with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. He started as a fan of the Black & Gold in the stands his freshman year. Mark was known as "Kazie" for his charismatic fandom with the VCU's student organization the Rowdy Rams. While at VCU he gained experience in sports media with WVCW on a sports radio show called Rowdy Radio. Following graduation, Mark continued crafting his social media skills with the Richmond Kickers while also handling VCU coverage. He is a true fan of the Rams and vocally passionate on and off camera. After the final whistle, you can probably find him at local RVA bar or brewery enjoying a drink and conversation.