In its 2012 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener, the Albertus Magnus women's volleyball team fell to Rivier University 3-0 on Wednesday evening. The Raiders, who were tagged as the preseason favorite for the conference, defeated the Falcons by scores of 25-7, 25-18, and 25-18.
With the loss, the Falcons even their record to 3-3 and fall to 0-1 in GNAC play.
Freshman Kelsey Pendagast (Milford, Conn.) led the Falcons with four kills in 22 tries, while both Nicole Acerra (East Haven, Conn.) and Krista LaBissoniere (Meriden, Conn.) had a team-high 12 digs. Melissa Manning (Milford, Conn.) added 11 digs for the Falcons as well as three kills.
Albertus kept the match close early on in the second and third sets and jumped out in the third to a 5-1 lead. Rivier battled back and after tying the score at 14, the Raiders went on a 7-2 run to take a 21-16 advantage before clinching the match victory with a kill by Morgan Peck.
Peck finished the night with eight kills, while Nicole Boucher had nine. Emily O'Reilly dished out 33 assists for the Raiders in their fourth win of the season.
Albertus returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 13 as the Falcons host Bay Path College in a 7:00 p.m. contest.