NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's volleyball team defeated Fitchburg State, 3-1 on Tuesday evening at The Nest in a non-conference match.

The win avenged an earlier loss to Fitchburg State by the same score. Majo Pelaez (Armenia, Colombia) led the way for Albertus with 19 kills to go with 24 digs. Shalese Gordon (Bridgeport, Conn.) also had a double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs.

THE BASICS

FINAL: Albertus Magnus 3 | Fitchburg State 1

Set 1: Albertus Magnus 25, Fitchburg State 20

Set 2: Fitchburg State 25, Albertus Magnus 23

Set 3: Albertus Magnus 25, Fitchburg State 22

Set 4: Albertus Magnus 25, Fitchburg State 20

HOW IT HAPPENED

In set one, Fitchburg State scored the first three points until the Falcons stormed back to take a 10-6 lead behind two kills and three consecutive aces by Pelaez. Albertus held steady and did not relinquish the lead the rest of the set despite multiple attempts by Fitchburg State. Kills by Colleen Edwards (Clinton, Conn.) and Pelaez over the course of the final three points gave Albertus the 1-0 lead in the match.

Fitchburg State jumped out to a 10-5 lead early on, holding the lead for the first half of the set until the Falcons tied it at 14-14 after a kill from Paula Matheus (Tunja-Boyca, Colombia). Albertus got their first lead at 18-17 and held the lead for the next 11 points. However, with Albertus leading 23-21, Fitchburg State scored the final four points to steal the set as Stephanie Sardella had a kill and Emily Gelinas, an ace for Fitchburg State.

Set three looked like a replica of the second set early on as Fitchburg State once again opened with a 10-5 lead. This time, it was Albertus with the late comeback at the end of the set. With Albertus trailing 22-20, the team scored the final five points as Yarelis Torres (East Haven, Conn.), Nathalie Wallace (Rocky Hill, Conn.), and Pelaez all had kills during the final stretch. Albertus had 14 kills in the set, including five from Pelaez and three from Torres.

Albertus stormed out the gate in set four, taking a 14-5 lead out of the gate thanks to seven combined kills from Pelaez and Torres. Albertus looked like it would cruise to victory in the set, leading 23-12, but Fitchburg State stormed back, cutting its deficit to 24-20 as Sardella had four kills during the late run. However an attack error by Sardella ended the match, giving Albertus the victory.

LEADERS

Albertus

Majo Pelaez - 19 Kills

Shalese Gordon - 36 Assists

Majo Pelaez - 3 Aces

Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.) - 36 Digs

Paula Matheus, Colleen Edwards, Nathalie Wallace, and Shalese Gordon - 1 Block

Fitchburg State

Stephanie Sardella - 14 Kills

Emily Gelinas - 24 Assists

Stephanie Sarcella, Jessico Greco and Sariah Dyer - 2 Aces

Jessica Greco - 18 Digs

Sariah Dyer and Shianne Harewood - 2 Blocks

NOTEWORTHY

• It was the eighth double-double for Gordon and her second straight. Her 36 assists tied a career-high.
• Pelaez notched her seventh double-double of the season. Her 24 digs were a career-high.
• Matheus finished with nine kills, a career-high. The six kills for Torres were also a career-high.
• Zdru's 36 digs were a career-high and the third time this season she has had over 30 digs. Zdru also leads the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) at 5.28 digs per set and total digs with 517.

UP NEXT

Albertus plays its final home game and hosts senior night as it takes on York (N.Y.) in a non-conference matchup in The Nest on Thursday, November 2 at 7 p.m.