NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College women's volleyball team celebrated Senior Night in a big way, defeating York (N.Y.), 3-0 on Thursday evening in a non-conference match.
The Falcons have now won two straight matches, including six consecutive sets. Prior to the match, seniors Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.), Nathalie Wallace (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and Elizabeth Lynch (Stratford, Conn.) were honored for their contributions to the program.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 3 | York (N.Y.) 0
Set 1: Albertus Magnus 25, York 9
Set 2: Albertus Magnus 25, York 14
Set 3: Albertus Magnus 25, York 11
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (9-19) | York (2-13)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Albertus blitzed York in the first set, scoring the first five points led by three aces from Shalese Gordon (Bridgeport, Conn.). The Cardinals didn't get any closer than three points the rest of the way, as a 14-1 run gave the Falcons a 21-5 lead. Majo Pelaez (Armenia, Colombia) had two kills, Paula Matheus (Tunka-Boyaca, Colombia) had one, and Rachael Pellegrini (Clinton, Conn.) had an ace during the decisive run. The Falcons' final two points of the set came on kills from Colleen Edwards (Clinton, Conn.).
Set two wasn't much different than the first at the start as the Falcons jumped to a 5-1 lead behind an ace and kill by Gordon and two more kills from Edwards early on. Albertus then turned a 6-3 lead into a 22-8 lead as Gordon had three more aces during the run and Yarelis Torres (East Haven, Conn.) had three kills. Albertus would cruise to a 2-0 lead and were never threatened in the set
In set three, the Falcons faced some adversity, trailing by as much as 7-4 early on. But again, Albertus would go on another set-defining run, finishing the set on a 21-4 run as Nyanna Richards (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Matheus each had three kills apiece, as well as two from Kanishjoary Marrero-Martinez (Schenectady, N.Y.), added two kills. Joismar Aviles (Hatillo, Puerto Rico) had four aces in the set, including three straight.
LEADERS
Albertus
Majo Pelaez - 7 Kills
Shalese Gordon - 13 Assists
Amanda Zdru - 13 Digs
Shalese Gordon - 7 Aces
York
Samantha Panameno - 3 Kills
Nadaysia Nivar and Alicia Gumbs - 1 Assist
Shamonie Miller - 7 Digs
Cherub Autar, Samantha Panameno, and Nadaysia Nivar - 1 Ace
Andrea Wright and Nadaysia Nivar - 1 Block
NOTEWORTHY
- Six Falcons had at least four kills. York had just four as a team.
- Gordon finished with a career-high seven aces.
- Albertus finished with 15 aces as a team, the second-highest total of the season.
- Albertus is 6-1 all-time against York.
UP NEXT
The Falcons wrap up their season with a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match against Regis at 1 p.m. and Colby-Sawyer at 3 p.m. on the campus of Colby-Sawyer.
