PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University women's volleyball team picked up a critical three-set victory over Stonehill College Friday evening in Northeast-10 Conference action at the Goldstein Fitness Center. The Setters are now locked in a three-way tie for the No. 8 seed in the conference with the College of Saint Rose and Stonehill, and are just one game out of fifth.
RESULTS
Pace 3, Stonehill 0 (25-8, 29-27, 25-20)
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1
- The Setters had a dominant opening set, quickly running out to an 11-3 lead.
- The lead expanded to 12 points with Pace up, 18-6, but Stonehill narrowed the gap and made it 18-8.
- The Setters then regained full control of the game, winning the final seven points to claim a 25-8 victory and a 1-0 lead on the night.
SET 2
- The Skyhawks found their game in the second set, playing back-and-forth volleyball with the Setters until Pace took a 17-14 lead.
- The Skyhawks quickly tied it up with three straight points, and later saw the set move to a 21-21 stalemate.
- Stonehill scored three of the next four to force set point at 24-22, so Pace called timeout to figure out a plan.
- Pace won the next point to keep the set going, but Stonehill called timeout hoping to stop the Setters from gaining momentum.
- Pace managed to tie it up at 24, and then force a set point of its own at 25-24, but Stonehill took the next two to put the Setters on the brink again.
- The teams traded the next two points, forcing the Setters to need the next point.
- The Setters tied it again on a kill by sophomore
Kathleen Benson (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park), and took a 28-27 lead on Allyson Hughes' attack error.
- Junior
Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield) threw down the final point to give Pace a 29-27 win and 2-0 lead over the Skyhawks.
SET 3
- The Setters got stuck in a rut early on in the third frame, falling victim to five aces and losing four more points on errors while the Skyhawks turned a 9-0 run into an 11-5 lead.
- The Setters clawed their way back in with three straight points, two on kills by sophomore
Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina).
- Stonehill got one back to hang on to a four-point lead, but the Setters got back within one by taking another three in a row.
- A service error gave one back to the Skyhawks, but a third three-set run finally pushed the Setters into the lead, 14-13.
- The lead grew to 19-16, but Stonehill got back in it with three in a row to tie it up.
- Pace then ran off five straight points to force match point.
- Stonehill got one last point, but a kill by Fontanet closed the door on the match and gave Pace the 3-0 shutout.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Fontanet picked up a double-double with a match-high 14 kills to go with 11 digs.
- Lecker was right behind her with 13 kills and hit a match-best .444.
- Freshman
Samantha Nidini (Houston, TX/Clearlake) also had a double-double, leading all players with 34 assists and adding 10 digs.
- Senior
Samantha Marquez (Palmetto Bay, FL/Miami Palmetto/Palm Beach State College) and junior
Amy Vicic (Surrey, British Columbia/Earl Marriott) tied with a match-high 13 digs.
- Freshman
Tatjana Calimpong-Burke (Waianae, HI/Iolani) totaled four blocks in the win.
RECORDS
- Pace: 16-6 (3-4 NE-10)
- Stonehill: 8-10 (3-4 NE-10)
UP NEXT
- The Setters host Bentley University tomorrow, Oct. 22, for a 1 p.m. NE-10 contest at the Goldstein Fitness Center.
- Saturday's match will be Pace's annual Dig Pink match, where Pace's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be accepting donations for the Breast Institute at Northern Westchester Hospital. Pace Goes Pink "Playing for a Cure" t-shirts will be given to those who make a donation.
For all information regarding Pace University Women's Volleyball, log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow
Pace Volleyball on Facebook and Twitter (
@PaceVolleyball).
