The Pioneer Trail: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014
Volleyball vs. Bridgeport - 7 p.m.In the midst of a five-match homestand to close out the regular season, the LIU Post volleyball team will look to knock off East Coast Conference rival and front-runner Bridgeport tonight at the Pratt Recreation Center.
The Pioneers (15-11, 9-4 ECC) currently sit in third place in the ECC, one-and-a-half games ahead of Roberts Wesleyan and two games clear of NYIT in the standings.
Freshman outside hitter
Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) led the Pioneers to a three-set sweep (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) of Bentley in the team's last outing on Friday (Oct. 25). Valenza collected 12 kills in the victory. Junior libero
Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) amassed 20 digs in a brilliant defensive performance. Senior setter
Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy) and junior setter
Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) combined for 33 assists.
Bridgeport (18-2, 13-0 ECC) has not lost since Oct. 3, as the Purple Knights are currently on a six-match winning streak. The team's last performance was an offensive clinic, a three-set sweep of NYIT (25-21, 25-15, 25-11) in which it hit at a .469 clip. UB connected for 52 kills on 96 attack attempts with a mere seven errors.
Junior outside hitter Sarah Rosa (Itajuba, Brazil) paced the team with 15 kills on a .519 hitting percentage. Senior right-side hitter Amanda Kunrath (Ivoti, Brazil) sported 10 kills and a .750 attacking clip. Graduate setter Biljana Savic (Novi Sad, Serbia), the 2014 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, accrued seven kills and dished out 19 assists in the win.
The two sides last met on Sept. 30, when Bridgeport took a three-set sweep over the Pioneers at Hubbell Gymnasium. Valenza's eight kills led the green and gold, while senior middle blocker Larissa Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) collected a match-high 11 kills for the Purple Knights.