New Haven, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's volleyball team lost a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matches to Rivier University and Saint Joseph's of Maine on Saturday afternoon as part of Homecoming weekend. The Falcons dropped the first match to the Raiders in four sets, 3-1, and lost to the Monks in a five-set thriller, 3-2.
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (13-12, 1-7) Rivier University (14-8, 7-2) | Saint Joseph's (Me.) (11-12, 4-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED – Match 1
Albertus Magnus topped Rivier in the opening set, 26-24, after battling back from a seven-point deficit, 17-10. A kill from Ashley David (West Islip, N.Y.) sparked the Falcons' run before the Raiders tied the set at 24-24 to force the extra points.
The Raiders' attack, led by a game-high .375 hitting percentage, had a better second set, 25-14, to even the match at one set apiece. Albertus Magnus kept within arm's reach of Rivier in the third, but came up short 25-17, despite cutting the lead to within two, 12-10.
Rivier would take the third and final set quickly, 25-12, to earn the conference victory.
INSIDE THE STATS – Match 1
- Freshman Kimberly Keller (Bridgeport, Conn.) paced the Falcons' attack with 11 kills as well as tallied a team-high three blocks.
- Senior Nicole Beard (Shelton, Conn.) posted 33 helpers in match one as well as added five digs and an ace to her stat line.
- Taylor Dunster and Hayley Macken recorded a pair of double-doubles for the visitors, including a team-high 12 kills from Dunster.
- Rivier won the battle at the net both offensively, 50-37 in kills, and defensively, 19-4 in blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Match 2
Saint Joseph's of Maine opened match two with the 1-0 lead following a 25-18 first set win, but the visitors lead did not last long as the Falcons tied the match at one, 1-1, behind a 25-21 second set win.
Albertus Magnus carried its momentum into the third set, defeating the visitors 25-17, extending its lead to 2-1. However, Saint Joseph's of Maine battled back in the fourth, 25-22, to tie the match for the second time.
In the fifth and final set, both teams battled through seven ties before the visitors found themselves ahead by one, 13-12, entering a Falcons' timeout. The Monks would score the final two points needed to take home to road win.
INSIDE THE STATS – Match 2
- Keller recorded a career-game, tallying a career and team-high 23 kills while added a career-high six blocks and a dig.
- Kelesey Bickford led the Monks with a 20-kill performance, while Jordynne Copp rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14.
- The Falcons outplayed the Monks at the net, posting a 61-51 edge in kills and a .165 hitting percentage.
- The Monks won the defensive battle with 11 blocks, compared the Falcons' 10.
- Sarah Dyer recorded a double-double, 44 assists and 17 digs, for the visitors.
- Along with Keller, senior Ana Gomez (New Haven, Conn.), freshman Genesis Cora Luquis (Meriden, Conn.) and David recorded in double-figures for the hosts.
UP NEXT
Albertus Magnus returns to action next week against Saint Joseph's (Conn.), Mount Ida and Norwich.