ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Sept. 20, 2016) - A .405 first-set hitting percentage set the tone on Tuesday (Sept. 20) as the Molloy College volleyball team dropped a three-set decision to Adelphi University at Quealy Gymnasium. Set scores favored the Panthers by a count of 25-14, 27-25 and 29-27.

Adelphi (5-6) came out firing on all cylinders in the first set, running away with the opening game from the word "go." A 3-0 lead ballooned to an 8-4 advantage on consecutive kills by Madison Canestrari (Ledyard, Conn.) as Molloy (2-11) struggled to keep pace with the opposition. Senior right-side attacker Amanda Borges (Bayonne, N.J.) led the charge with two kills and a block assist as the Panthers continued to rumble to a 17-6 advantage; Molloy did make things closer in the frame as sophomore Meaghan Carr (Mineola, N.Y.) launched back-to-back service aces to bring the Lions with five points at 17-12.  AU, however, closed on an 8-2 run including winning the final four points on kills by Canestrari and Melissa Rigo (Elwood, N.Y.) coupled with a a service ace by Mandy Stanislovaitis (West Chester, Ohio) to earn a 25-14 victory in the first stanza of play.

The second set started off in the same manner, with Adelphi winning 10 of the first 14 points to open up a six-point edge. The Lions would battle back in the frame, determined to not have the night end in an early disappointment; in fact, a kill by freshman middle blocker Devon Hagerstrom (Bethpage, N.Y.) brought the home side within a two-point deficit at 13-11. The Lions inched closer to the Panthers with Danielle Williams (Alba, Texas) keeping her team in play at 21-20 off of a rally and kill, but Adelphi scored the next three points to force a serve for the set. Williams rattled off another kill before three straight AU errors brought the set even at 24-all. Service errors, however, did in the Lions as Molloy allowed the Panthers to claim the set thanks to another kill by Borges.

An evenly-paced third set saw both squads trade the first 20 points of the frame and draw level at 10-all before Williams nudged her team ahead with a kill at 11-10. Rigo would then take over with a kill and two straight service aces while teammate Katherine Ferris (Melbourne, Australia) notched a kill of her own to put the Panthers ahead by a 14-11 margin. Molloy then took four straight points with two service aces and a kill by Hagerstrom, as well as another successful attack by Williams. The Lions reached a 20-18 lead but Adelphi eventually rallied to claim six of the next eight points and attempt to serve out the match. The teams would then go back-and-forth in a win-by-two scenario, with Williams and Hailey Wehr (Wading River, N.Y.) each getting kills to save match point for the maroon and white. Wehr's attack leveled the frame at 27-all but Borges and Rigo struck for kills in succession to close out the sweep for Adelphi.

Hagerstrom and Williams were the attacking stars for the maroon and white with nine kills apiece, while freshman setter Sophia Smith (Georgetown, Texas) had another double-double effort in attaining 26 assists and 13 digs. Junior libero Dakota O'Neill (Long Beach, N.Y.) contributed 11 digs while Carr had three service aces and six digs of her own. Freshman defensive specialist Jessica Fischetti (Seaford, N.Y.) had eight digs off the bench for Molloy as well.

Rigo led a steady and balanced attack for the black and gold of Adelphi with a match-best 15 kills in a companion to her 11 digs. Borges added 13 kills and Stanislovaitis chipped in with 11 as junior setter Megan Manierski (Macomb, Mich.) had herself a match with a total of 49 assists. Ferris was five-for-six on attacks in the third set alone (a .667 hitting percentage with one error) while libero Sierra Crook (Spokane, Wash.) played sound defense with 20 digs in the back row for the Panthers.

Molloy will open conference play this weekend by welcoming in the Western New York representatives of the East Coast Conference. First,the Lions will host Daemen College on Saturday (Sept. 24) at noon; then on Sunday (Sept. 25) it will be Roberts Wesleyan's turn to play the maroon and white at Quealy Gymnasium in a 12 p.m. match-up.