BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The LIU Post women's volleyball team split a pair of matches Saturday, first falling to East Stroudsburg University 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 26-24) then bouncing back to overcome Stonehill College 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-14) inside the Pratt Recreation Center.

The Pioneers bounced back from a loss to a tough East Stroudsburg team with a season-best .297 attacking percentage to down the Skyhawks.

Heading into its first East Coast Conference (ECC) match on Sept. 12 LIU Post sits with a 7-4 record. East Stroudsburg moves to 10-1 while Stonehill is 4-4.

Match Rewind vs. Stonehill
The first set started with a junior Kassie Akouri-Tejedor service ace followed by a pair of attacking errors by the Pioneers that saw Stonehill take its only lead of the set. The Pioneers used an 8-0 run that featured two kills by sophomore Lauren Kloos, four consecutive service aces from junior Samantha Colombo and a pair of Stonehill errors to give themselves a comfortable 9-2 advantage. From there the Pioneers kept the Skyhawks at bay and won the set 25-16 with freshman Sarah Mangan earning the kill on set point thanks to an assist from senior Giulia Genna.

The Pioneers raced out to a 4-1 lead early in the second set thanks to a 3-0 run that featured a pair of Kloos kills and a double block by Kloos and Mangan. With LIU Post ahead 11-6 Stonehill went on a 4-0 run that reduced the Pioneers' lead to one then eventually tied the score 15-15. The Pioneers responded with a 5-0 run keyed by freshman Kiora Ridgeway as she contributed three kills and a solo block while senior Rachel Londot added a service ace. A kill by senior Elise Strange saw the Pioneers close the set out with a score of 25-20.

A double block by Strange and Mangan to open the third set propelled LIU Post on a 4-0 run out of the gate and from there the Pioneers never looked back. While the Nighthawks battled back to have a one-point deficit at 8-7 the Pioneers maintained their advantage; up 15-12 a 6-0 Pioneer run featuring a pair of Londot kills, a double block by Mangan and Ridgeway and a trio of Stonehill attacking errors saw LIU Post take a comfortable 21-12 lead. The Pioneers took the set 25-14.

Top Performers
-          Kloos finished with a match-high nine kills, two assists and two digs
-          Londot added seven kills with a .300 attacking percentage along with a match-high 12 digs and two service aces
-          Akouri-Tejedor led the Pioneers in kills with 16 while adding seven digs
-          Colombo finished with a match-high four service aces
-          With a .875 attacking percentage Magnan contributed seven kills and three block assists
-          Ridgeway finished nine kills and a .533 attacking percentage along with three block assists and one solo block

Match Rewind vs. East Stroudsburg
The opening set of the match belonged to the Warriors as they never trailed after jumping out to a 2-0 lead to start the match. East Stroudsburg took the set with a score of 25-18.

Despite dropping the first two points of the second set the Pioneers bounced back to level the score 2-2. With the Pioneers down 6-5 an attacking error by the Warriors followed by a kill by sophomore Asiya Way saw LIU Post take the lead 7-6; the Pioneers took the lead again 8-7 but it was the last time they would hold the advantage during the set. Up 13-12 East Stroudsburg used a 7-0 run to take a comfortable 20-12 lead to which the Pioneers responded with a 5-0 run that featured three Londot service aces, a kill by Colombo and a Warrior attacking error. East Stroudsburg withheld the Pioneers' comeback attempt and won the set 25-20.

A kill by Kloos keyed a 4-0 run early in the third set that gave LIU Post a 4-1 advantage in a set where the Pioneers never trailed. With the score tied 9-9 LIU Post used another 4-0 that featured kills by Londot and Strange along with a pair of Warrior errors to push ahead 13-9. While the score remained close throughout the remainder of the set Londot closed it with a kill from an assist by Genna that saw LIU Post win 25-22.

The Warriors kept the Pioneers at bay for much of the fourth set and were up 24-18, the outcome of the set and match looked likely. LIU Post showed tremendous resilience to go on a 6-0 run that featured a kill and two service aces by Londot, two kills by Kloos and a Warrior attacking error that tied the score at 24-24. The Pioneers' valiant comeback effort fell just short as East Stroudsburg ended up winning the set 26-24.
 
Top Performers
-          Londot had a double-double as she tied for the match high in kills with 13 while also adding 17 digs and a career-high seven service aces
-          Kloos notched 12 kills, four digs and three block assists
-          Colombo added a team-high 18 digs and eight kills
-          Akouri Tejedor led the team in assists with 25 and had nine digs
-          Mangan had a team-high four block assists

Up Next
The Pioneers open East Coast Conference (ECC) play on Sept. 12 at 7:00 p.m. when they host New York Institute of Technology (7-2) at 7:00 p.m.