ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Sept. 25, 2016) - Despite a 15-kill game from freshman Shannon Wren (Lynbrook, N.Y.)---the third of her young career---and a 40-assist effort from setter Sophia Smith (Georgetown, Texas), the Molloy College volleyball team was unable to triumph in an early conference battle with Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday (Sept. 25) at Quealy Gymnasium. Set scores favored the Redhawks in four games by a count of 21-25, 28-26, 25-23 and 25-19 as the visitors won their fourth straight match to improve to 5-6 on the year and 2-0 in East Coast Conference play. Molloy falls to 2-13 overall and 0-2 in ECC contests in 2016.

The maroon and white won a competitive first set in front of an energetic home crowd by pulling away after a 13-all deadlock. A service ace by Meaghan Carr (Mineola, N.Y.) went along with a kill from Hailey Wehr (Wading River, N.Y.) and an attack error on the Redhawks to push Molloy in front. It would be a lead that the Lions would not relinquish despite the opposition getting within one point on two different occasions; kills by Wren and Devon Hagerstrom (Bethpage, N.Y.) kept the hosts ahead to stay. The second set of play provided more dramatic theater, but this time the ending did not favor Molloy. The Lions led 19-15 after a service ace from Wehr, but Roberts Wesleyan scored three straight points to creep within one. The visiting side eventually got even at 20-all, but the hosts were up 24-22 with set point on the verge of a two sets to none advantage. A kill from Alexandre Tahauri (Hepseria, Calif.) and a service ace from Kristina Button (Davison, Mich.) would even up the set at 24-all and force a win-by-two scenario. Both teams struggled to get the winning combination of points until Roberts Wesleyan went back-to-back with kills by Rachel Holmes (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Kate Steger (Hilton, N.Y.) to win a 28-26 back-breaker.

The Lions would not quit and, to the credit of the young squad, the team fought back in the third set with aplomb. The sides traded the first 18 points but kills by Button and Riley Moll (Orchard Park, N.Y.) put the Redhawks ahead by an 11-9 margin. Molloy was unable to strike back to even terms, as each one-point deficit the Lions would attain received an answer from Roberts Wesleyan. Eventually, Button and Moll each recorded a kill and block assist to put the Redhawks ahead by a 22-16 margin. Molloy fought back once again, this time getting back within one point at 24-23 before Tahauri ended the set with a kill to give RWC a 2-1 lead in sets.

The fourth set proved to be a runaway for Roberts Wesleyan in the early going as the Redhawks bounced out to a 12-5 lead that swelled into a 16-8 advantage. The Lions' comeback was not able to gain much steam until it was too late, as Molloy crawled back from 24-16 down to a deficit of five points at 24-19 before Steger recorded her 20th kill to win the match.

Steger had a .563 hitting percentage with 20 kills in 32 attempts while Tahauri notched a 15-kill performance. Moll, Button and Anjali Thomson (Mission Viejo, Calif.) each recorded seven kills for the Redhawks in the victory. Setter Elisabeth Rivera (Garden Grove, Calif.) dished out 53 assists and also had 10 digs; Tahauri also had 10 digs while libero Olivia Zureck (Lancaster, N.Y.) led the way with 18 digs in the back row.

Wren and Smith had the aforementioned big games for the maroon and white, but graduate opposite hitter Danielle Williams (Alba, Texas) also played well to the tune of 11 kills and 15 digs. Hagerstrom recorded 11 kills and three service aces while libero Dakota O'Neill (Long Beach, N.Y.) posted a team-high 18 digs. Freshman defensive specialist Jessica Fischetti (Seaford, N.Y.) played an impactful role in the back row also, acquitting herself well with 12 digs.

Molloy will travel for its next contest on Thursday (Sept. 30) as the Lions head up to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. for a 7 p.m. showcase with Mercy College.