Box Score vs. Queens - October 22, 2009
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Oct. 22, 2009) - On
Thursday night, the Molloy College volleyball team saw its
post-season hopes put into jeopardy as the Lions lost their
second-consecutive contest to Queens College by a score of 3-0
(14-25, 16-25, 30-32) at Quealy Gymnasium in Rockville Centre,
N.Y. Even with Molloy and Queens being opponents on the court, both
squads celebrated "Dig Pink" night for breast cancer.
The opening frame got off to a quick start for Molloy (8-17, 3-6
ECC) as sophomore right-side hitter Angelica Nicalek
(Valley Stream, N.Y.) put them up 1-0 with a kill. Queens
rattled off the next three points to take a 3-1 lead. After senior
setter/outside hitter Janice Loo (Woodside, N.Y.)
committed a service error that put the Lions up 3-2, the Knights
(5-17, 4-5 ECC) went on a 7-2 run to take a 10-4 lead, which forced
the hosts to use a timeout.
Things were largely unaffected following the respite, as kills
from sophomore outside hitter Latoya Edward (Castries, St.
Lucia) and freshman setter/outside hitter Maria
Loor (Manta, Ecuador) helped Queens make the score 16-9.
Molloy fought to cut the deficit to four (16-12) on a service ace
from senior libero Monika Rodziewicz (Lindenhurt,
N.Y.). The Lions never threatened again as freshman
outside hitter/right-side hitter Suzanne Byrne (Richmond,
B.C.) ended the set for the Knights with a kill.
The second set in the match was close early as both teams
exchanged points. Neither side had a lead larger than three points
until Byrne's service ace gave her side a 17-13 lead. After
a Molloy timeout, Queens went on to take the second set
25-16 as Loor picked up four of the final five tallies in the frame
courtesy of four of her match-high 18 kills.
The third set began ominously for the Lions as the Knights ran
off six of the first seven points. In an effort that mirrored a
prize fight, the Lions attacked like gangbusters and evened the set
at 7-7, largely on the heels of junior outside hitter
Meaghan Meyer (East Meadow, N.Y.), who came off
the bench to provide a spark to the offense with three kills in the
match. With the score then knotted up, neither team could grab a
commanding advantage, with the largest lead being two points.
At 24-23, the Lions had a chance to close out the set, but a
kill from sophomore middle hitter Linda Tatala-Colin
(Laxou, France) evened the score. She would stave off
another set point at 25-24 to extend the match further. Another
Loor kill brought the Knights on the brink of capturing the match
at 26-25, but it was Molloy, who responded with a Nicalek kill to
once again tie the score and keep the set going.
Molloy answered the call again at 27-26, this time courtesy of
a kill from junior outside hitter Arielle Wichard
(Merrick, N.Y.). Wichard showed heart and fight further
along in the set as another one of her nine kills leveled the score
at 28-up.
Molloy faced match-point for the fourth time at 29-28 and for
the fifth time at 30-29, but once again showed their mettle as
Nicalek recorded two of her team-high 13 kills to bring the sides
even at both 29-29 and 30-30. But in the perfect denouement,
Tatala-Colin, who saved her team's chance to lose the set earlier,
closed out the match with two consecutive kills.
Head Coach Kevin Quiambao and the Lions return to the court this
Tuesday as they travel to Bridgeport, Conn. to face East Coast
Conference opponent University of Bridgeport. First serve is
scheduled for 7 p.m.
