PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The second day of Homecoming Weekend picked up right where yesterday's action left off, as the Pace University volleyball team defeated Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday by a 3-0 margin at the Goldstein Fitness Center.

The Setters have now won four consecutive matches without dropping a set and have won their last five matches total, all at home. With the win, Pace improves to 11-13 and are 5-4 against the Northeast-10 Conference this season.

Inside the Numbers
Junior Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina) was the leading attacker for the Blue and Gold on Saturday, recording nine kills against the Penmen. Senior Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield) added eight kills of her own, and has recorded a team-leading 62 kills over the last five matches. Sophomore Natalia Quinones chipped in with a season-high seven kills.

The defense was fronted by the trio of Lecker, Fontanet, and sophomore Danielle Vaiano (Seaford, NY/St. Anthony's), who combined for 50 of Pace's 71 digs. Vaiano had a team-high 19 digs, bringing her total on the season to 333.

It was the usual suspects of sophomore Samantha Nidini (Houston, TX/Clearlake) and freshman Nicole Pivetti (Modena, Italy/Liceo Wiligelmo) taking charge in assists, recording 16 and 12, respectively. The duo have now led the Setters in assists for the last three matches.

The Blue and Gold were helped by six service aces, three from the hand of Fontanet. Pace recorded seven blocks as a team, including solo efforts by Quinones and freshman Elien Peeters (Herdersem, Belgium/Onze Lieve Vrouwecollege).

Set 1: Pace 25, SNHU 20
The Setters jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the opener courtesy of a six-point run. Pace remained firmly in control of the beginning of the set, extending their lead to 14-4. Southern New Hampshire refused to go quietly, however, and began mounting a comeback, eventually narrowing Pace's lead to 23-19. The Setters were able to recoup following a timeout, and were able to hold off the resilient Penmen to take the opening set. Fontanet and sophomores Maria Snelling (Cleveland, OH/Gilmour Academy) and Tatjana Calimpong-Burke (Waianae, HI/Iolani) each had three kills in the set to lead Pace. Pivetti took charge in assists, recording her first five of the day while Nidini registered four. Vaiano had a team-high nine digs in the opening frame.

Set 2: Pace 25, SNHU 15
Pace continued to ride early momentum, scoring five straight points to open up the second frame. Southern New Hampshire once again did not make things easy, immediately responding with four straight of their own and eventually pushing to a 6-6 tie. After a few short runs by both teams that put Pace ahead 9-8, the Setters rattled off six consecutive points to go ahead by seven. With some distance between them and the Penmen, the Blue and Gold were able to hold off Southern New Hampshire for the remainder of the set. Only one of the Penmen's six remaining servers managed to record multiple serves before being forced to rotate. Quinones led the attack for the set with four kills. Nidini led the Blue and Gold in assists for the frame with seven, while Pivetti chipped in with five of her own.

Set 3: Pace 25, SNHU 13
Pace continued to limit opposing serves in the final set, with only three of Southern New Hampshire's 11 servers in the set managing to avoid going one-and-out. With the Penmen unable to string together lengthy point runs, the Blue and Gold were able to build a lead that was insurmountable for the opposition. Fontanet led the clincher with five kills. Nidini once again was the assists leader for the frame, picking up her final five on the day. Lecker closed out the match with six assists.

Up Next
The Setters look to close out a perfect six-match homestand when they host New York Institute of Technology for 80's Night on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Goldstein Fitness Center.