PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (Oct. 18, 2016) - Freshman setter Sophia Smith (Georgetown, Texas) collected 43 assists to push ever closer to the Molloy single-season assist record on Tuesday (Oct. 18) but the Lions were dropped in a non-conference volleyball tilt by Pace University at the Goldstein Fitness Center in four sets. Scores from Pleasantville tilted the scales towards the Setters: 25-19, 25-23, 19-25 and 25-18.

Smith's 43 assists also came with 15 digs for her eighth double-double of the season and first in nearly a month (Sept. 20 vs. Adelphi). Her season mark now stands at 639 assists, which is the third-most all-time in a single campaign for the Lions. Smith needs 53 assists over the course of the season to tie the mark and 54 to overtake the record set by Ally De Kruyf back in 2014. Molloy (4-18) played a strong match in the back row with Dakota O'Neill (Long Beach, N.Y.) notching a team-high 16 digs. Right-side hitter Danielle Williams (Alba, Texas) had nine kills and 15 digs on the evening while Meaghan Carr (Mineola, N.Y.) contributed with 11 digs in back row play. The offense was led by a 14-kill evening from first-year hitter Shannon Wren (Lynbrook, N.Y.) and a 13-kill performance out of the middle by Devon Hagerstrom (Bethpage, N.Y.). The Lions were also paced by Hagerstrom's five service aces and four block assists; first-year middle blocker Hailey Wehr (Wading River, N.Y.) also pushed forward a strong effort with nine kills of her own.

Pace improved to 15-6 on the season as sophomore outside hitter Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) posted a 17-kill night to lead the Setters with a .310 hitting percentage. Junior Sydney Lecker (Littleton, Colo.) added 11 kills on the offensive end for the hosts, who also saw setter Samantha Nidini (Houston, Texas) contribute 43 assists and 17 digs. Senior Samantha Marquez (Palmetto Bay, Fla.) also collected 17 digs while junior libero Amy Licic (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) notched a 15-dig performance and Fontanet added 14 digs in the back row.

Fontanet set the tone in the opening stanza with the first point on a kill, giving Pace a lead that would not be relinquished. The Setters eventually raced out to a 19-11 edge before an attempted comeback by the Lions, with the visitors winning eight of the next 14 points. However, the NE-10 representatives would coast to a 25-19 win in the opening set. The second game featured a different story as Molloy opened up an 11-5 lead with kills and blocks by Wren and Hagerstrom as well as a block assist from Smith and a service ace by Jeanne Reinis (La Mirada, Calif.). The Lions would spend the rest of the set clinging to a quickly evaporating edge, as an 18-16 lead disappeared with Pace going up 21-19. The teams would trade points back-and-forth before a setting error allowed Pace to go up by a two-sets advantage.

Molloy rallied in the third set early, as again it was the serving of Reinis that led to a run for the maroon and white. The sophomore had another service ace to go along with two kills by Wren and a successful hit from Williams as the Lions led by an 11-4 margin. Pace attempted to even up the score, but this time it was Molloy that easily fended off the attacks to claim the third set and extend the match. The Setters had the opening three points of what would be the last game of the match, but the Lions refused to quit. Wehr would notch a kill to even up the score in the frame at 12-all; however, Pace would rally for 13 of the next 19 points to win a 25-18 final set and turn Molloy aside.

The Lions will continue conference play this weekend, first with a battle against Daemen College on Friday (Oct. 21) at Lumsden Gymnasium in Amherst, N.Y. Match time is set for 7 p.m.