NEW CASTLE, Del. – The Pace University women's volleyball team split its first two matches at the Wildcat Regional Invitational, hosted by Wilmington University (Del.) on Friday, dropping a hard-fought 3-2 decision to host Wilmington in their opener, and bouncing back to defeat Chestnut Hill College, 3-1.
RESULTS
Match 1: Wilmington 3,
Pace 2 (27-25, 25-15, 18-25, 19-25, 16-14)
Match 2:
Pace 3, Chestnut Hill 1 (25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23)
WILMINGTON 3, PACE 2
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Pace fell behind, 2-0, after a tight 27-25 loss in the first set and an 25-15 defeat in the second.
- The Setters roared back with 25-18 and 25-19 wins in the third and fourth set, respectively, to force the deciding fifth frame.
- The final set went back and forth, seeing Pace eventually take a 13-9 lead and have match point at 14-13, but Wilmington used its home-court advantage to finish strong and take the final three points for a 16-14 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Pace hit better than Wilmington with a .132 hitting percentage compared to Wilmington's .115.
- Reigning Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week
Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina) registered season highs with 21 kills and 32 digs.
- Freshman
Danielle Vaiano (Seaford, NY/St. Anthony's), fresh off winning Northeast-10 Conference Libero of the Week, started her day with an impressive 43 digs.
- Freshman
Samantha Nidini (Houston, TX/Clearlake) dished out 48 assists and added 15 digs.
- Junior
Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield) threw down 12 kills and picked up 15 digs.
- Freshman
Tatjana Calimpong-Burke (Waianae, HI/Iolani) had seven kills, three blocks and an ace in the match.
PACE 3, CHESTNUT HILL 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first game came down to the wire with the score tied 22-22. Pace pulled it together and scored the final three points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
- An eight-point run late in set two gave Pace full control of the set, which the Setters won, 25-17.
- Chestnut Hill stayed alive by taking a 25-21 win in the third frame.
- Pace held a comfortable 22-15 lead in the fourth game, but Chestnut Hill used a five-point run to get back within two. The Setters kept their composure to capture the final set, 25-23.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Nidini was impressive once again with 43 assists.
- Fontanet led the team with another 11 kills.
- Vaiano added another 24 digs.
- Sophomore
Kathleen Benson (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) slammed down seven kills and three blocks.
RECORDS
- Pace: 5-1
- Wilmington: 2-4
- Chestnut Hill: 2-4
UP NEXT
- The Setters continue play at the Wildcat Regional Invitational on Saturday.
- Pace takes on Holy Family University at 10 a.m., and then faces off with Bloomfield College at 2 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).
