BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Sept. 22, 2015) - The LIU Post volleyball team won its third-consecutive match Tuesday night, defeating Dowling College, 3-2, in its 2015 East Coast Conference opener at the Pratt Recreation Center.

Sophomore outside/middle/right-side hitter Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) led all players with 19 kills on the evening. Senior middle hitter Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had 18 kills on a .302 attack percentage. Freshman outside hitter Rachel Londot (Utica, Ohio) tallied 14 kills, while hitting .278.

In the first set, the Pioneers (8-3, 1-0 ECC) held a slight two-point (11-9) lead, until a run of four straight points by the green and gold extended their advantage to 15-9, forcing a Golden Lions' (9-4, 0-1 ECC) timeout. Londot served two of her three service aces in that stretch.

LIU Post eventually built as much as an eight-point cushion (22-14) in the game, off a Hansen kill, and cruised to a 25-18 opening-set win.

Tied 8-8 in the second game, the hosts scored six unanswered points to go up 14-8 and never looked back. Londot recorded two kills in the spurt. Hansen and senior setter/right-side hitter Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) added a kill each, in addition to teaming up for a block.

Dowling managed to close the gap to 18-17, but LIU Post answered with seven of the final 10 points of the set, led by two kills and a block from Valenza, to take the game, 25-20.

The visitors then managed to win the next two sets to force a deciding fifth game. In that set, the Pioneers fell in an early 8-4 hole. LIU Post battled back though, as an 8-3 burst pulled the hosts in front at 12-11. A kill by Londot gave the green and gold the lead.

Following a timeout by the Golden Lions, senior outside hitter Jessica Kalbfleisch (Ridge, N.Y.) picked up a kill to even the score at 12-all. However, the Pioneers, behind another Londot kill and two errors by Dowling, shut the door on their opposition.

Freshman setter Giulia Genna (Civitella San Paolo, Italy) allocated 56 assists in the victory, topping her previous season-high of 52 from Saturday against Franklin Pierce University. Senior libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) collected 28 digs, to go along with five assists.

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and her LIU Post squad are back at it on Thursday (Sept. 24), when they head to Rockville Centre for a 6 p.m. first serve at ECC foe Molloy College.