BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Oct. 30, 2014) - On Thursday night, the LIU Post volleyball team swept Southern Connecticut State, 3-0, in its final non-conference regular season match at the Pratt Recreation Center.

Up 4-3 in the opening set, the Pioneers rolled off a 13-4 run to widen their lead to 17-7, and never looked back. Junior middle hitter Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and sophomore middle/right-side hitter Analise Austin (Honolulu, Hawaii) put down two kills apiece in that stretch. The green and gold also capitalized on four unforced errors by the opposition.

LIU Post (16-12) eventually took the first game by a 25-13 final. An attack error by Southern Connecticut's (7-18) Sean Taylor (Kent, Wash.) gave the Pioneers a 1-0 edge in the contest.

In the second set, the hosts jumped out to a quick 7-0 advantage. Four of those points came by way of blocks. Senior setter Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy) capped off the burst with a service ace.

The green and gold later owned as much as an eight-point cushion (17-9), before the Owls started to rally. SCSU twice came within three points of tying LIU Post, but the Pioneers pulled out the 25-20 win on a Katie Hudencial (Mechanicsville, Va.) kill.

The third game saw LIU Post open up a commanding 18-6 lead, and that was all the Pioneers needed. Senior middle blocker Heather Adams (Centerville, Ohio), junior setter/outside hitter Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) and freshman middle blocker/outside hitter Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) served a combined four aces in the streak. Valenza and freshman middle blocker Heather Ball (Gilbert, Ariz.) had two kills apiece as well.

The green and gold went on to take the set, 25-14, and secure the sweep. Austin slammed down the kill that ended the match.

Valenza (.312 hitting percentage) and Hansen (.400 hitting percentage) both tallied seven kills in the tilt. Ball registered six kills. Austin totaled five kills and five digs. Centro collected a match-high 21 assists, to go along with three kills and three digs. Junior libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) led all players in the dig department (19).

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and the Pioneers are back in action next Saturday (Nov. 8), when they host Daemen in an East Coast Conference clash at the Pratt Recreation Center. First serve is slated for noon.