PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – An incredibly competitive match at the Goldstein Fitness Center went the way of the visiting team on Tuesday, as the Pace University women's volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller at home to American International College (AIC) in Northeast-10 Conference action.
RESULTS
AIC 3,
Pace 2 (24-26, 25-21, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11)
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1
- A five-point run by AIC tied the opening frame up at 12 apiece.
- Both teams went back-and-forth until reaching a 24-24 stalemate.
- Back-to-back attack errors by the Yellow Jackets closed out the set and gave Pace a 1-0 lead in the match.
SET 2
- The Yellow Jackets picked up the first five points of the second set, and ran out to a 9-2 lead before Pace called timeout.
- The timeout flipped the momentum of the match, and Pace went on a five-point run to get back within two, forcing AIC to take its first timeout.
- A later run for the Setters left them leading, 14-12, but the Yellow Jackets turned it around to take the next six points for an 18-14 advantage.
- AIC took advantage of the lead and held on for a 25-21 win to tie the match.
SET 3
- Pace took an early lead in the third game, but the two NE-10 foes eventually found themselves tied up at 11.
- Both teams traded points until the Setters grabbed a 24-22 lead and set point.
- A timeout by AIC helped the Yellow Jackets regroup, leading to a tie at 24-24.
- Junior
Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield) halted AIC's momentum with a big kill to take the lead, and a block assist by junior
Colette Clarke (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) and Lecker closed out the frame and gave Pace a 2-1 advantage on the night.
SET 4
- The Yellow Jackets took a comfortable 10-5 lead early on in the fourth set, but the Setters turned it around to take 9-of-13 to tie it up at 14.
- Pace went up, 17-15, but AIC took the lead back at 20-17.
- Trailing by three, the Setters earned the next four points to take a 23-22 advantage.
- AIC turned it around to take the next three points, capturing the fourth set, 25-23, and forcing a decisive fifth game.
SET 5
- Both teams played evenly early on in the final set, but Pace broke a 4-4 tie with 3-of-4 thanks to kills by sophomore
Kathleen Benson (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park), freshman
Tatjana Calimpong-Burke (Waianae, HI/Iolani) and Lecker to take a 7-5 lead.
- AIC's Diva Rivas threw down back-to-back kills to tie it up, and then Jana Potic got one of her own to take an 8-7 as the team's switched sides of the court.
- Pace tied the match on a block assist by Lecker and Clarke, but Rivas and Potic got back-to-back kills to take a two-point edge.
- Pace got one back, but the Yellow Jackets got the next two to run out to a three-point lead.
- Both teams traded points to make it a 14-11 score, and AIC claimed the match on a kill by Lauren Piles.
PACE LEADERS
- Benson hit a team-high .364 and finished second on the team with 15 kills on the night. She also added four blocks.
- Sophomore
Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina) registered a team-best 17 kills, adding 25 digs for a double-double.
- Lecker also registered a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs, adding three blocks.
- Clarke played just 4-of-5 sets, but led the team with six blocks, adding five kills.
- Junior
Amy Vicic (Surrey, British Columbia/Earl Marriott) led the team with 43 assists and completed her own double-double with 17 digs.
- Freshman
Danielle Vaiano (Seaford, NY/St. Anthony's) led the Setters with 40 digs.
- Calimpong-Burke threw down eight kills, served up a pair of aces and had four total blocks.
AIC
- Jana Potic and Diva Rivas had 24 and 22 kills, respectively.
- Potic added 25 digs to her night.
- Mercy Rivera had a match-high 45 digs, while Dolores Kopren led the floor with 59 assists.
RECORDS
- Pace: 12-4 (0-2 NE-10)
- AIC: 15-4 (2-2 NE-10)
UP NEXT
- The Setters will challenge NE-10 rival Adelphi University during Pace Homecoming Weekend on Friday, Oct. 7, at the Goldstein Fitness Center. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
For all information regarding Pace University Women's Volleyball, log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow
Pace Volleyball on Facebook and Twitter (
@PaceVolleyball).
