ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Sept. 2, 2016) - The Molloy College volleyball team kicked off its 2016 season by welcoming in Southern Connecticut and Chestnut Hill for the Long Island Invitaitonal on Friday (Sept. 2). Unfortunately for the Lions, their guests were more than willing to leave with victories as both schools claimed four-set victories over the maroon and white at Quealy Gymnasium.
Southern Connecticut State 3, Molloy 1
Sophomore
Jeanne Reinis (La Mirada, Calif.) had a team-best 13 kills but Molloy's attack netted a .057 hitting percentage with 42 total kills in 157 attempts. The Lions also fell victim to an aerial assault by Southern Connecticut in the form of 17 service aces---five each from freshmen Gabriela Vazquez (Meriden, Conn.) and Anna Venard (Thornton, Colo.) while sophomore Leanna Jadus (Long Beach, Calif.) led all hitters with 15 kills. The Owls took a close first set by a 25-23 margin before pounding the hosts in the second set of play (25-12). The third set featured a back-and-forth contest that saw Molloy finally pick up a 31-29 win on a service ace from
Meaghan Carr (Mineola, N.Y.) but SCSU closed the deal with a 25-18 fourth-set triumph.
Freshman middle blocker
Shannon Wren (Lynbrook, N.Y.) impressed many with her collegiate debut, collecting ten kills while fellow first-year players
Devon Hagerstrom (Bethpage, N.Y.) and
Hailey Wehr (Wading River, N.Y.) each had seven kills in the loss. Rookie setter
Sophia Smith (Georgetown, Texas) dished out 37 assists and led the team with three service aces. Four players had double-digit dig totals, with junior libero
Dakota O'Neill (Long Beach, N.Y.) leading the way by attaining 19 digs in the back row.. Reinis added 16 digs, Carr posted 12 and
Jessica Fischetti (Seaford, N.Y.) had an 11-dig debut for the maroon and white.
Chestnut Hill 3, Molloy 1
The Lions regrouped to take the first set from the Griffins in the nightcap of Friday's action by a 25-17 score. A poor performance in the second set on the attack coupled with a Chestnut Hill squad that hit .483 equaled an easy Griffins victory to even up the match at one apiece. The 25-16 score in the second stanza was outdone by a 25-14 reading in the third frame as Chestnut Hill continued its dominance heading into the fourth set. There, Molloy inched close to sending the contest to a fifth and decisive inning but the visitors scored the final three points to win a 27-25 heartbreaker.
Once again, the stage belonged to Wren. Her 15 kills led all attackers and her .290 hitting percentage was tops on the team while Hagerstrom added 11 kills in the middle.
Tara Carlin (Kings Park, N.Y.) had a nine-kill debut on the right side as Smith continued her impressive play with a 39-assist showcase. Both teams collected 81 digs apiece, with O'Neill once again keeping her team in the game thanks to a 30-dig performance. Ultimately, Chestnut Hill's stellar hitting percentage proved to be all that was needed for the Griffins. Senior Madison McBride (Long Beach, Calif.) had 13 kills and only one error to collect a .429 hitting percentage while junior Samantha Gelfan (Chandler, Ariz.) had 12 kills in the victory. Senior libero Regina Trabosh (Norristown, Pa.) had 21 digs in the back row for the Griffins.
Molloy continues play in the Long Island Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 3) with a 10 a.m. match against Le Moyne followed by a 2 p.m. date with NCAA Tournament participant Post University.
