Philadelphia, Pa. – The volleyball team stepped out of East Coast Conference play to take on two of the top teams in the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference in a tri-match hosted by Holy Family University. Molloy outlasted the Lions of Georgian Court University, 3-2, before falling to the host Tigers, 3-1. The Lions now sit at 13-6 on the campaign.
 
Set-by-Set (Game 1)
Molloy 26, GCU 24
GCU 25, Molloy 14
Molloy 25, GCU 17
GCU 25, Molloy 20
Molloy 15, GCU 6
 
How it Happened

• Molloy fell behind early in the first set, 13-2, after giving up two lengthy rallies.
• After battling back to being behind by just two, 22-20, the Lions faced starting the afternoon off with a loss in the first set following back-to-back points in favor of Georgian Court, setting the score at 24-20.
• Molloy was able to regroup and fired off six straight points to earn a come-from-behind victory, 26-24.
• A slow start in the second set handicapped the maroon and white through the second set, unable to recover.
• The Lions took advantage of a .389 attacking percentage in the third set to help give Molloy a 2-1 advantage.
• Molloy fired off a five-point run in the fourth set to go in front 12-6, but GCU was able to counter with a six-point run of their own to knot the score before taking advantage of a late seven-point rally to force a deciding set.
• The maroon and white were flawless in the fifth set, committing no errors and attacking at .545. A five-point run on kills from sophomore Kacey Affrunti, juniors Sophia Smith and Devon Hagerstrom, and redshirt junior Carly Banks helped put Molloy in front, 13-5, before eventually sealing the set and the contest.

 
Top Performances

• Affrunti led the team with both 17 kills and three service aces.
• Hagerstrom joined the sophomore in double-digits, totaling 10 kills while delivering a game-high five blocks.
• Smith dished out 44 assists while adding 13 digs. Junior Jessica Fischetti and senior Meaghan Carr each tallied 17 digs in the effort.

 
Set-by-Set (Game 2)
Holy Family 25, Molloy 19
Molloy 25, Holy Family 22
Holy Family 25, Molloy 20
Holy Family 25, Molloy 20
 
How it Happened

• With the score tied, 11-11, the Tigers pulled in front, 17-11, with a six-point run.
• The Lions battled back, coming within two, 21-19, but dropped the first set as Holy Family scored the contest's next four points.
• Molloy got in front early in the second set, taking a 5-1 lead, which it never relinquished, taking the set, 25-22.
• An evenly-matched third set was decided on a three-point run by the Tigers to go up, 23-19.
• Holy Family took a 9-5 lead early in the fourth set. The maroon and white would battle back, coming within one, 12-11, but were unable to re-establish a lead, allowing the Tigers to close out the match with a 25-20 set victory.

 
Top Performances

• Hagerstrom (11) and sophomore Graciela Cruz (12) each reached double-digit kills for the Lions, with Cruz adding 10 digs for her first double-double with the team.
• Smith also tallied another double-double on the afternoon with 38 assists and 11 digs.
• Fischetti led the maroon and white with 14 digs; Hagerstrom and Affrunti each recorded four blocks, while Carr served up two aces.

 
Looking Ahead
Molloy will host Mercy College on Friday (Oct. 19) at 7:00 p.m.