KINGSTON, R.I. – #5 La Salle (15-12) kept its postseason hopes alive by defeating #4 George Washington (15-14) in straights sets on Friday. Senior Devin Corah, junior Samantha Graver and sophomore Elizabeth Osborn powered La Salle's offensive dominance with the trio combining for 35 kills on .394 hitting. Overall, the Explorers out-killed the Colonials 45-33 with a hitting percentage of .364 compared to its opponent's .244.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Explorers showed they meant business from the get-go. Three straight aces from Osborn capped an 11-3 start for the Blue & Gold. The strong lead continued to swell to 17-9, but George Washington would climb back by claiming nine of the next 16 points. La Salle finished off the set by going 3-1 to finish, with a pair of kills by Osborn.
• The second frame again went La Salle's way to start as the Explorers stretched a 5-3 lead into a 10-4 gap. The Colonials would not be allowed back into the set after that as a six-point deficit would be the closest they'd come. The Explorers' advantage became 20-11 after two kills by Graver and a service ace from junior Allison Laucella. A 5-3 finish from the Blue & Gold gave it a two-set lead.
• When the Explorers started the third up 5-2, it seemed the pattern was set to repeat itself, but George Washington had other ideas. The Colonials responded with a strong 16-9 run that put them up 18-14. La Salle's response was perhaps the most impressive part of the afternoon. It didn't come immediately—the teams traded points to make it 21-17—but the Explorers followed that with five straight points to retake the lead. The Colonials pushed back by taking three of the next four points and giving them set point at 24-23. Again, however, the Blue & Gold refused to give up; a kill by Osborn and an ace by redshirt freshman Sarah Nahas were part of three straight points to give La Salle the win.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Can you dig it? Senior Kathryn Wood has been applauded recently for her offensive numbers, but across her career she has also proven reliable defensively. This was marked by her fourth dig of the day that gave her 1,000 for her career.
• Wood remains a dominant offensive distributor and finished with 43 assists over three sets. That tally was nearly a career-high for three sets (44 at Youngstown St. on 9/4/17).
• Corah led the team with 14 kills on a scintillating .458 hitting, adding three blocks. Osborn chipped in with 10 kills, four aces and seven digs while Graver tallied nine kills on .438 hitting and eight digs.
• Aced it! La Salle tallied nine aces to George Washington's one.
• After making All-Rookie Teams, freshmen Marisa Guisti and Rachel Hess played well against the Colonials. Guisti tallied six kills on .556 and three blocks, while Hess tied the game-high with eight digs.

 
UP NEXT

• The Explorers take on #1 VCU Saturday at 4:30 p.m. with the game available to stream on ESPN+.