BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Hosting the Long Island Invitational and playing inside the Pratt Recreation Center for the first time in 2018, the LIU Post women's volleyball team split its matches Saturday first falling 3-1 (27-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-19) to Le Moyne College then bouncing back to defeat Bloomfield College 3-0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-16).
The Pioneers move to 4-2 on the season under first year head coach Stephanie Sheehan while Le Moyne is 4-1 and Bloomfield 0-3. The Pioneers will conclude play at the Long Island Invitational against Assumption College at 12:00 p.m. and Post University at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Match Rewind vs. Bloomfield
While the score was tied 3-3 early, Bloomfield never led in a set that convincingly belonged to the Pioneers. With the Pioneers ahead 11-7 a 9-0 run featuring two kills from senior Elise Strange and one each from senior Rachel Londot and junior Samantha Colombo along with two serves aces from Colombo all but put the set out of reach for the Dolphins. LIU Post would win the set 25-10.
The second set started as a back-and-forth battle with the score tied 8-8 early. A 3-0 run that included back-to-back kills from Londot from senior Giulia Genna assists saw LIU Post take the lead and not look back. With the Pioneers ahead 13-10 a kill from sophomore Asiya Way keyed another 3-0 run followed by another with LIU Post up 17-12. The green & gold went on to take the set 25-16.
Bloomfield looked ominous early in the third set as the Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead. With the score tied 10-10 the Pioneers took the lead on a 8-0 run that featured three kills from Way, a kill from junior Shannon Sahli and a pair of service aces from Londot. Strange keyed a 3-0 run with the Pioneers ahead 20-15; a Genna kill and a Bloomfield attacking error saw the set end 25-16.
Top Performers
- Londot posted a double-double with a match-high 10 kills and 10 digs while adding two service aces
- Genna handed out a match-high 28 assists, four digs and one kill
- Colombo added nine digs, a match-high five service aces and seven digs
- Strange contributed six kills, two block assists and one dig
Match Rewind vs. Le Moyne
The opening set was a tightly-contested battle with junior Lea Brady getting the Pioneers on the scoreboard first courtesy of an assist from Genna. LIU Post held an early 5-2 lead but a 5-0 run from Le Moyne swung the momentum in their favor. The score was tied at 18-18, 24-24 and 25-25 but the Pioneers could not put the Dolphins away as they took the set 27-25.
LIU Post looked promising to begin the second set as back-to-back service aces from Londot gave the Pioneers a 5-3 advantage early. A 6-0 Le Moyne run put the Dolphins ahead and while the Pioneers were able to tie the score at 11-11, Le Moyne won the set 25-20.
Five kills from Colombo would propel the Pioneers to victory in the third set; it started in impressive fashion as LIU Post took an early 4-1 lead. Ahead 10-8, a Londot kill keyed a 4-0 run that gave the Pioneers a six-point advantage. A pair of 3-0 runs then saw LIU Post take a commanding 20-10 lead which eventuated in LIU Post winning the set 25-17.
Despite the Pioneers' impressive play in the third set they never led in the fourth as the Dolphins jumped out to a 9-3 lead. Back-to-back kills from Strange narrowed the margin slightly as did a 4-0 run keyed by a Colombo kill that brought the score to 22-19. Le Moyne would eventually win the set 25-19.
While the final score did not go the Pioneers way, they recorded a season-high 12 service aces.
Top Performers
- Genna notched a double-double with a team-high 36 assists, 14 digs along with six kills and two block assists
- Colombo tied for the team in kills with 12 while adding five service aces and nine digs
- Strange added 12 kills on a .346 attacking percentage and three block assists
- Eckhardt recorded a career-high and match-high 30 digs
Up Next
The Pioneers conclude the Long Island Invitational with matches against Assumption College (0-2) at 12:00 p.m. and Post University (0-4) at 4:00 p.m. inside the Pratt Recreation Center.