Rockville Centre, N.Y. - The volleyball team kicked off the 2025 campaign with back-to-back wins from Bob Houlihan Court, topping Belmont Abbey, 3-1, before sweeping Wilmington University in three sets. This marks the first two wins under Head Coach Steve Woessner and is the first 2-0 start for the Lions since the 2019 season that ended at the Division II National Championship. 

Game One: Molloy 3, Belmont Abbey 1
Molloy 25, Belmont Abbey 19
Belmont Abbey 25, Molloy 17
Molloy 25, Belmont Abbey 13
Molloy 25, Belmont Abbey 18

How it Happened

• Kills from senior Teresa Moulder, junior Erin Stanley, sophomore Isabella Rios and freshman Haven Trechter paired with an ace from graduate student Julia Zalta helped Molloy to a 6-2 advantage to start the contest.
• The Crusaders would come within two on five occasions before a six-point run on the serving of junior Hayden Riddle, including two aces, put the Lions in front 19-11. 
• Trechter picked up two kills and an ace as three of Molloy's final six points to take the set.
• The strong start did not continue into the second set with the Lions ending the set attacking at under a 10 percent clip, allowing Belmont Abbey to tie the match 1-1.
• The Crusaders would score the first point of set three. The two teams would remain within striking distance of one another until a block from senior Ilaria Micol Chiericati and kills from Ros and Stanley set the score at 14-8 in favor of the Lions. 
• Leading 18-12, Molloy fired off a rally of six-straight points that saw two blocks and two kills from Chiericati, a block and kill from Zalta, and a block from Stanley before taking the set 25-13.
• The score would be tied six times in the fourth set, but a run of four-straight kills from Moulder, Stanley, and Trechter sealed the set and the match for the home team. 

Top Performances

• Stanley led the contest with a career-high 14 kills.
• Trechter tallied 11 in her collegiate debut to go with nine digs and an ace. 
• Both Zalta and Riddle tallied 23 assists. Riddle added three aces and three digs while Zalta had one ace and eight digs. 
• Senior Aria Miller topped the scoresheet with 28 digs while adding 11 aces. 
• Zalta and Chiericati both put up three blocks. 

Game Two: Molloy 3, Wilmington 0
Molloy 25, Wilmington 20
Molloy 25, Wilmington 13
Molloy 25, Wilmington 19

How it Happened

• Molloy came out firing with a 5-0 lead to start the contest, including two kills from Rios and an ace from Zalta.
• Rios added an ace of her own in part of a run to make it 9-3 Lions.
• The Wildcats would claw back within striking distance, including as close as 18-17.
• Kills from both Rios and Zalta helped regain a 21-17 lead for the Lions en route to the set win.
• It would be the Wildcats turn to start the set on a run in set two. However, the home team responded with five-straight points that featured a kill and block from Stanley and a block from Moulder.
• Wilmington would come within one, 10-9, but multiple lengthy rallies from the Lions put the home team ahead 23-11 before taking the set.
• Zalta's strong serving allowed another early lead for Molloy to start the final set, 6-0. She recorded one ace while Stanley and Rios each had a kill and a block to go with another block from Moulder.
• Trailing 11-4, Wilmington rallied to tie the contest at 13. The Lions responded immediately with five-straight points that featured two aces and a kill from Zalta and kills from both Rios and Moulder to make it 18-13. 
• Molloy would record four more kills before winning the set and the match.

Top Performances

• Rios led with 12 kills while adding three aces and seven digs.
• Zalta followed with nine kills, led with both 18 assists and five aces and added 10 digs.
• Riddle had 14 assists.
• Miller's 11 digs led the defense while Trechter reached double digits with 10. 

Up Next
Molloy will be back in action tomorrow (Sept. 6) with matches against Gannon (11:00 a.m.) and Assumption (3:00 p.m.) from Bob Houlihan Court.