ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Oct. 23, 2014) - Three different players recorded double-digit kill performances Thursday, as the LIU Post volleyball team outlasted Molloy, 3-2, in East Coast Conference action at Quealy Gymnasium.

Junior middle hitter Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) put down a match-high 16 kills, and hit at a .312 clip in the process. Freshman middle blocker/outside hitter Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) amassed 12 kills, eight digs and three blocks. Junior setter/outside hitter Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) collected 11 kills.

Knotted at 7-7 In the opening set, the Pioneers (14-11, 9-4 ECC) tallied six of the next seven points to grab a 13-8 advantage. Valenza and Hansen sparked the spurt with kills. Senior setter Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy) capped it off with an ace.

The Lions (10-13, 5-7 ECC) then chipped away at LIU Post's cushion, and eventually tied things up at 17-17 on a kill by Grace Cookson (San Diego, Calif.). However, the green and gold finished the game strong, and captured a 25-22 victory on a Valenza kill.

Molloy fought back and took the second set, 25-23, before the Pioneers re-gained their edge in the third. The visitors rallied from a 13-9 deficit to even the game at 14-up on a block by Valenza and freshman middle blocker Heather Ball (Gilbert, Ariz.). Shortly thereafter, the two squads remained deadlocked (21-21), until LIU Post scored four of the set's final five points to win it, 25-22. Amador provided two kills in the burst, one of which put her team ahead for good.

The fourth game saw the best offensive showing by both squads, but the Lions' .341 attack percentage, in comparison to the Pioneers' .306, forced a fifth and final set.

In the deciding game, LIU Post jumped out to a commanding 10-3 lead, and never looked back. Amador notched back-to-back kills in the streak. Ball also chipped in two kills, while graduate libero/outside hitter Katie Hudencial (Mechanicsville, Va.) served aces in succession. An attack error from Molloy's Ally De Kruyf (Norwalk, Calif.) secured the Pioneers' sixth triumph in their last seven matches.

Ball finished the contest with nine kills, three digs and three blocks. Sophomore middle/right-side hitter Analise Austin (Honolulu, Hawaii) totaled 14 digs and five kills. Centro allocated 47 assists, to go along with nine digs, three kills, three aces and three blocks. Junior libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) had 13 digs.

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and her LIU Post squad now begin a five-match homestand to close out the 2014 regular season, starting Friday (Oct. 24) versus non-conference foe Bentley at the Pratt Recreation Center. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.