Rockville Centre, NY- The volleyball team secured its second conference victory of the season with a 3-1 win over Queens College, rallying late in the fourth set to seal the victory. The win moves the Lions to 7-10 overall and 2-2 in ECC play, while the Knights fall to 3-16 (1-3 ECC).
How it Happened
- The Lions jumped out to an early 3-0 lead to open the first set.
- A service error put Queens on the board, and then the Knights quickly cut the deficit to one, 6-5, capitalizing on Molloy attacking errors and a kill from Zoe Sercu.
- Kills from junior Isabella Rios, sophomore Haven Trechter, and freshman Kailie Girard helped the Lions extend its lead to 15-9.
- Freshman Isabella Smith recorded two services aces, while Rios and freshman Peyton Douglas each contributed a block and a kill to give Molloy a double-digit lead at 21-11.
- The Knights continued to battle, closing the gap to 24-16 behind kills from Garnette Webb and Sercu, a service ace for Sercu, and Molloy errors.
- A kill from Girard secured the final point and gave the Lions a 25-16 first set victory.
- The second set featured a more competitive start, with both teams trading points and neither side taking a lead greater than two until two kills from Trechter and a Queens attacking error gave the cardinal and white a 7-4 advantage.
- The home team then went on a six-point run to extend its lead to 16-7, highlighted by three kills from Rios, two services aces from senior Hayden Riddle, and a block from Douglas and senior Erin Stanley.
- The Knights once again fought to stay in the set, but a service ace from freshman Olivia Smith and two kills from Girard secured the 25-14 second-set win.
- Queens opened the third set with its strongest start of the match, taking a 5-1 lead.
- The competitive back-and-forth continued, with the score tied seven times before reaching 12-12. Back-to-back Molloy attacking errors and a kill from Sercu gave the visitors a three-point advantage.
- Queens continued to pull ahead, reaching set point at 24-19. A kill from Girard kept the Lions in contention, but a kill from Hyman following a visitor timeout forced a fourth set.
- The momentum from the third set carried into the fourth where the Knights quickly built an 8-3 lead.
- The Lions fought back to tie the set at 11-11 behind kills from Douglas and Rios and a service ace from Isabella Smith. An attacking error then gave Molloy its first lead of the set.
- The visitors pulled ahead 21-16, but kills from Trechter and Rios, along with blocks from junior Franki Kelleher, Girard, and Rios, helped the Lions erase the deficit and tie the set at 21-21.
- Rios carried the momentum with back-to-back kills, followed by another kill from Girard. A block from Girard and Douglas capped a dominant 9-1 run, completing the Lions' comeback and securing a 3-1 match victory.
Top Performances
- Stanley paced the offense with 14 kills, adding two blocks and two digs.
- Girard followed closely with 13 kills while hitting .333. The freshman also recorded three digs and a career-high five block assists.
- Rios posted a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs, while Trechter led the team defensively with 16 digs and contributed nine kills and a service ace.
- Isabella Smith added three aces and 12 digs.
- Riddle paced the Lions' setting efforts with 24 assists, while Olivia Smith chipped in 20 assists.
Up Next
The Lions step out of conference play to host local rival Adelphi University on Wednesday (Oct. 14) at 7:00 p.m.
