BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Nov. 16, 2014) - Senior middle blocker Heather Adams (Centerville, Ohio) slammed down a match-high 15 kills Saturday, but it wasn't enough, as the No. 3 seed LIU Post volleyball team lost by a 3-0 count to top-seeded Bridgeport in the East Coast Conference Championship on Saturday at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium.

In addition to her 15-kill performance, Adams hit at a stunning .367 clip. Freshman outside hitter/middle blocker and ECC Rookie of the Year Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) notched 10 kills. Freshman middle blocker Heather Ball (Gilbert, Ariz.) added six kills. Senior setter Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy) dished out a match-best 21 assists.

The first two sets saw a combined 24 tied scores and 11 lead swaps. In the opening game, the two squads were even at 18-all, until Ball went on a tear, registering three kills on the next four points. LIU Post (19-13) eventually went ahead 22-19, but Bridgeport (24-2) rallied with a 6-1 run to take the set, 25-23. Senior middle blocker Larissa Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) assisted on two blocks to secure the win.

In the second set, the Pioneers, trailing 23-20 and later 24-22, forced extra points. Following an LIU Post timeout, a key Oliveira service error set the stage for a Valenza kill that tied the score at 24-apiece. However. the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, Ying Shen (Nanjing, China), tallied back-to-back kills to give the Purple Knights a two-game lead in the match.

During the third set, the green and gold rallied again. Down 10-5 early in the game, LIU Post rattled off a 7-1 burst to grab a one-point advantage (12-11). Junior setter/outside hitter Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) served back-to-back aces in that stretch, while a Valenza ace put the Pioneers in front. 

UB fought back though with a 6-0 spurt of its own to re-gain the lead (17-12), and never looked back. The Purple Knights soon clinched the sweep with a 25-21 third-set victory.

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and the Pioneers now await word on a potential bid to the NCAA Division II Championship. The selection show will be aired on Sunday (Nov. 16) at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.