Volleyball Notches First Win Of 2025 With Win Over LIU

Saturday, September 6

Fairfield, Conn.

3:00 PM

Dartmouth College

1-1,0-0Ivy League

LIU

0-5,0-0NEC

LIU

Dartmouth

Volleyball Notches First Win Of 2025 With Win Over LIU

9/6/2025 6:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Dan Richeal

FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Dartmouth volleyball picked up its first win of 2025 with a four-set win over LIU on the second day of the Sacred Heart Invitational. Dartmouth dropped the first set 25-22 but responded with 25-21, 25-17, and 25-22 set wins for the win.

Set One (L, 25-22)

LIU took the first points of the match, Maddie LaFata notched an ace to give the Big Green and early 3-2 lead. The Sharks took an 11-6 lead after 17 points. Following a Dartmouth timeout, Kauany Gutz notched a kill to stop the LIU run. The Big Green mounted a comeback late in the set and cut the LIU lead to two before the Sharks took the set 25-22.

Gutz notched five kills in the first set while having a hitting percentage of .556. The five kills were the most in the set among both teams. Zori Brown had a trio of kills along with three digs in the first set. Six members of the Big Green tallied a dig to start the match with Sophia Gagnepain and Brown each having a team high three, Gutz, EllaMae Fitzgerald, and Julia Gojcaj each had two. Gutz and LaFata teamed up for a block in the set, Gagnepain led the team with four assists.

Set Two (W, 25-21)

The second set of the match saw four lead changes and score being tied 10 times. The Big Green opened the set with three straight points, the teams traded points with the score being tied at seven after 14 points. Dartmouth took a 10-8 lead which forced a LIU timeout. The teams continued to trade points throughout the set as the teams were tied at 15 after 30 points. Following the 15-15 tie, Dartmouth went on a 4-2 run as LIU took their second timeout. LIU responded out of the timeout and made it a 21-20 Dartmouth lead which led to a Dartmouth timeout. The Big Green took the set 25-21 as they took four of the next five points to even the match at a set each.

The Big Green spread out the scoring in the second set as six players had a kill, both Munachiso Mmuo and Gutz had four kills while Elle McCreery had three. Brown, Gagnepain, and Power each had a kill in the set. Dartmouth tallied three aces in the set with Fitzgerald, Gagnepain, and Julia York each having an ace. The Big Green held LIU to a .094 hitting percentage as Dartmouth had a pair of blocks.

Set Three (W, 25-17)

Dartmouth came out of the gates strong in the third set as they held the lead for the entire set. The Big Green got out to a 5-1 lead and held off multiple runs by LIU. Through 20 points the Big Green held an 11-9 lead but responded by taking an 18-12 lead. Dartmouth didn't let off the breaks and closed out the set 25-17 to take a 2-1 lead.

As a team, the Big Green hit .478 in the third set while committing just one attack error in the set. Gutz had four kills to lead Dartmouth while Brown (3), McCreery (2), Power (1), LaFata (1), and Mmuo (1) also had kills. Dartmouth had six blocks in the set, Brown tallied a solo block, McCreery had four block assists while Lafata had three block assists. York had a team high five assists in the set while Gagnepain had four assists.

Set Four (W, 25-22)

LIU took the first point of the fourth set, and the teams played a back and forth first 10 points as Dartmouth held a 6-4 lead after 10 points. The Big Green took the four of the next five points and had a 10-5 lead when LIU called their first timeout. Dartmouth grew its lead to as many as six when it was 23-17 following a kill by Mmuo. LIU had a late push, but the Big Green took the set and the match by winning the set 25-22.

Brown led the way for Dartmouth with five kills in the set, both LaFata and Mmuo had three kills. York notched seven assists while Gagnepain had four assists. LaFata and McCreery teamed up for the only Big Green block in the set.

Eight different players for the Big Green tallied a kill, Gutz had a match high 15 kills, Brown had 12 kills in her second collegiate match while Mmuo had a career high 10 kills. Both York and Gagnepain had 17 assists as Dartmouth had just one set error in the match. Brown completed her first career double-double with 10 digs. After having four blocks against Rutgers, the Big Green had 10 blocks against LIU. McCreery had six block assists to lead the match, LaFata had five block assists in the match.

The Big Green close out the Sacred Heart Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 7 against Sacred Heart. First serve is set for 3 PM in Fairfield, Conn.