PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – After decisively taking the first set, the Pace University women's volleyball team fell behind 2-1 to Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) in Tuesday evening's Northeast-10 Conference matchup at the Goldstein Fitness Center. The Setters came roaring back to force a fifth set, and narrowly claimed the final frame to pick up a huge five-set victory over the Owls.
HOW FAR WE'VE COME
- The Setters picked up their 14th win of the season Tuesday evening with their victory over the Owls, still with 12 matches to play in the regular season.
- The Setters went 14-19 for the entire 2015 campaign, only picking up their 14th win on Nov. 10, 2015, with only two more matches left on the schedule.
RESULTS
Pace 3, SCSU 2 (25-20, 25-12, 16-25, 25-23)
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1
- The Setters led by as many as 13 points in the first set, quickly running away with a 25-16 win in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
SET 2
- The Owls seemed to find their true form heading into the second set, and played evenly with the Setters throughout the game.
- With Pace up, 19-18, the Owls took four straight points to grab a three-point advantage.
- The Setters tried to make a comeback, getting back within one while facing set point, but Gabriela Vazquez got the kill the Owls needed to tie the match.
SET 3
- The third set began as a mirror image of the first, up until the point when the Owls took claim to a 19-14 lead.
- The Setters then went on a five-point run to tie it up, but the Owls managed to grab a 24-22 lead and earn another set point opportunity.
- Pace fired back to take the next three, but the Owls regrouped and took the final three points to take a 27-25 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
SET 4
- Set four was another back-and-forth battle between the Setters and the Owls, culminating in a late 20-18 advantage for the visitors.
- The Setters found a huge wave of momentum, stealing the final seven points of the game away from the Owls for a 25-20 win to force a deciding fifth set.
SET 5
- The Owls jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead over the Setters to take control of the final frame
- Pace took two back, but the Owls canceled it out with another two of their own for a 5-2 edge.
- Back-to-back kills by sophomore
Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina) and senior
Samantha Marquez (Palmetto Bay, FL/Miami Palmetto/Palm Beach State College) got the Setters within a point, and an ace by Fontanet tied up the set.
- Both teams then traded points back and forth until the Owls took an 8-7 lead before the teams switched sides.
- Points continued to be flipped back and forth until the Setters finally took two in a row to grab an 11-10 lead late in the set.
- The Owls quickly tied it again, but the Setters took two more in a row to put SCSU on its heels.
- After an SCSU timeout, a service error got the Owls back within a point, but sophomore
Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield) stopped the momentum before it could start with a kill to force match point.
- Another service error gave the Owls an opportunity to keep the match going, but freshman
Tatjana Calimpong-Burke (Waianae, HI/Iolani) managed to bump one just over the net and down to the floor for the deciding point of the match, giving Pace a 15-13 fifth-set win and a 3-2 victory in the match.
PACE LEADERS
- Three different Setters recorded double-doubles in Tuesday's victory.
- Fontanet led all players with 24 kills, just one off of her career high. She also added 19 digs and three aces.
- Lecker threw down 16 kills and picked up a career-best 26 digs.
- Junior
Amy Vicic (Surrey, British Columbia/Earl Marriott), who came into the season with just six career assists, dished out a career-high 63 assists in Tuesday night's win. She also had 32 digs.
- Freshman
Danielle Vaiano (Seaford, NY/St. Anthony's) had a match-high 32 digs.
- Sophomore
Kathleen Benson (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) and Fontanet matched for a team-high three blocks.
SCSU
- Leanna Jadus led the Owls with 17 kills on the evening, adding 16 digs and three aces.
- Gabriela Fazquez had a team-high 21 digs, also tallying 10 kills and three service aces.
- Alexandra Nimz passed out 33 assists.
RECORDS
- Pace: 14-4 (2-2 NE-10)
- SCSU: 13-8 (3-2 NE-10)
UP NEXT
- The Setters hit the road for back-to-back matches this weekend.
- Pace first visits Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. on Friday, Oct. 14, for a 6 p.m. matchup with the Dolphins.
- The Setters will then travel to Albany, N.Y. to take on the College of Saint Rose on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 12 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).
