Volleyball Comes Up Short in 3-1 Loss at Bridgeport
Box Score
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Sept. 20, 2016) - On Tuesday night, the LIU Post volleyball team lost its 2016 East Coast Conference opener to University of Bridgeport, 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 22-25, 21-25), at Hubbell Gymnasium.
Junior outside/middle/right-side hitter
Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) registered 13 kills, eight digs and three blocks in the effort. Sophomore outside hitter
Rachel Londot (Utica, Ohio) tallied 10 kills and nine digs. Sophomore setter
Giulia Genna (Rome, Italy) posted a double-double, collecting 27 assists and 13 digs. Freshman libero/defensive specialist
Abby Eckhardt (Westminster, Colo.) had 13 digs.
The Pioneers (2-6, 0-1 ECC) got out to a strong start in the match, winning the first set, 25-19. Tied at 18-all, the visitors closed out the game on a 7-1 run to secure the victory. Four different players notched kills for LIU Post in the spurt, while sophomore middle/right-side hitter
Elise Strange (Chesapeake, Va.) and freshman right-side hitter
Cara Kennedy (Mineola, N.Y.) teamed up for a block.
In the second set, the Pioneers capitalized on a pair of Purple Knight (1-5, 1-0 ECC) errors to grab a 10-7 advantage. However, Bridgeport quickly rallied to take the lead (16-13) and never looked back. An ace from senior outside hitter Sara Cruz (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) wrapped up a 25-19 win for UB, evening the match at 1-1.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair between the two squads. LIU Post and Bridgeport exchanged nine tied scores and two lead changes in the game. The Purple Knights came away triumphant though, as a Morgan Knight (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and
Taryn McCullouch (Buena Park, Calif.) attack error led to a 25-23 victory for the hosts.
Trailing 20-17 late in the fourth set, the Pioneers got kills from Londot and Strange to tie the score at 20-all. But, Bridgeport pulled away, using a 5-1 spurt to claim a 25-21 win. A block by Frida Randen (Sodertalje, Sweden) and Bruna Santos (Curitiba, Brazil) was the match-clinching point for the Purple Knights.
Head Coach
Amanda Ostapow and her LIU Post squad are in action next on Thursday (Sept. 24), when they face non-conference foe University of New Haven at 7 p.m. in West Haven.