Atlanta, Ga. - The eighth ranked Colby Volleyball team opened its 2026 campaign in thrilling fashion on Friday afternoon, outlasting #16 Washington University in St. Louis 3-2 (25-20, 24-26, 20-25, 25-11, 15-13) on day one of the East-West Classic hosted by Emory University.
In a tightly contested battle inside Woodruff Arena, the Mules showed incredible composure after falling behind two sets to one. Colby responded with a dominant fourth-set performance, hitting .591 with 14 kills to roll past the Bears 25-11 and force a deciding fifth set. In the final frame, the Mules held their ground through eight tie scores and two lead changes to claim a 15-13 victory.
Brianna Hazak powered the Colby attack with a career-high 17 kills and 20.0 total points, adding eight digs and two blocks to her stat line. Brady Moseley registered a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs, while Evelyn Kunde chipped in nine kills and four blocks.
At the net, Kendall Glover anchored the defense with five total blocks (two solo) to complement six kills. Gabby Grujic and Sydney DeProfio expertly orchestrated the offense, dishing out 21 and 19 assists, respectively, while DeProfio matched Moseley with 11 digs.
With the win, Colby starts the year at 1-0.
The Mules continue tournament play in Atlanta tomorrow, September 12, with a pair of matches at the East-West Classic. Facing #18 Claremont-M.S. at noon followed by a matchup with #17 Emory at 3:00pm.Â
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