Volleyball Defeated by Dowling In ECC Semifinal, 3-0
OAKDALE, N.Y. (Nov. 11, 2011) – The Dowling Golden Lions advanced to the ECC Volleyball Championships after defeating C.W. Post this evening, 3-0 (12-25, 20-25, 17-25). The Pioneers were the number four seed in tonight's ECC semifinal match.
The Pioneers finish the season with a 17-15 overall record after establishing a 8-6 conference mark that helped clinch a playoff spot.
Dowling will move on to face Bridgeport in tomorrow's ECC Championship match.
After the first few points of the first set kept things close, Dowling opened things up and ended the match with a 20-7 run after things were knotted up at five points aside. Bethany Shepard hit in an impressive .889 during the set with eight kills one nine attempts. ECC Player of the Year winner, Maja Potpara, tallied 14 assists during the set victory to help lead the Golden Lions.
C.W. Post fought back on two separate occasions during the second set, however, were unable to pull out a victory as Dowling earned a five point win during the second frame. Potpara added more nine more assists during the set while Cassy Kelly led the team with six kills. The Pioneers did accumulate a .250 hitting percentage despite the loss.
Dowling then managed to close things out during the third set, continuously increasing the lead over the course of the final set. Shepard and Chelsea Callahan each totaled five kills to help the Golden Lions hit .295 during the set with a team total of 17 kills.
Shepard finished her night with a game-high of 15 kills on .438 hitting percentage to go along with eight digs. Potpara also kept up her impressive season, totaling 38 assists to go with six digs and four kills. As a team, Dowling achieve a .333 hitting percentage through the three matches.
Jordan Schroer (Kailua, Hawaii) was the lone Pioneer to reach double-figure kills, as she equaled exactly 10 kills while also leading the team with 12 digs.
Stephanie Schwarz (Hoffman Estates, N.Y.) led the squad with 24 assists.