CHICAGO – University of Chicago's 25th-ranked women's volleyball program split its two matches to open the Gargoyle Classic on Friday, sweeping UW-La Crosse before falling to Whitworth in five sets. 

UW-La Crosse

The Maroons got their 2022 season started on the right foot with a clean sweep of visiting UWL. UChicago won by set scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-23, respectively, to earn its first victory of the 2022 campaign.

Offensively, Ella Mao paced the attack with 10 kills a blistering .450 clip. Fellow outside hitter Maggie McInerny added eight kills in support. Maya Patel dished out 15 assists and totaled 12 digs.

As a team, the Maroons posted 34 kills at a .224 attacking percentage. UChicago excelled at the net defensively with 6.0 blocks while UWL did not record a block in the match.

Whitworth

UChicago's final match of the day featured a meeting with Whitworth, which was receiving votes in the AVCA Top-25 poll. The Pirates jumped out to an early set one lead and were able to hold off the Maroons in a tightly contested opening frame, 29-27.

UChicago dropped the second set 25-19, but stormed back with two straight set victories, 25-22 and 25-19, respectively, to force a fifth set. The Maroons got out to a lead, but could not maintain it, falling 15-11 to suffer their first defeat.

McInerny had a game-high 20 kills at a .315 clip, adding 11 digs and two service aces. Cami Cox was also in double-digits offensively with 12 kills. Patel and Maddie Ryan combined for 47 assists to pace the attack.

The Maroons take on St. Olaf and Aurora to complete the Gargoyle Classic on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.