PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – A valiant effort by the Pace University volleyball team came up just short on Tuesday night, as the Setters were defeated by the New York Institute of Technology in four sets. The defeat drops the Blue and Gold to 11-14 on the season, and was Pace's first loss since Oct. 10, snapping a five-match winning streak.

Inside the Numbers
Leading the way for Pace was junior Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina), who recorded her eighth double-double of the season. Fontanet had 14 digs and a team-leading 10 kills. Sophomore Natalia Quiñones added seven kills, her second consecutive match reaching her season-high.

Sophomore Danielle Vaiano (Seaford, NY/St. Anthony's) once again led the Setters in digs, recording 22. In addition to Fontanet, senior Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield) reached double-digit digs, tallying 11.

On the assists front, it was senior Haley Kain (Huntersville, NC/William Amous Hough) making plays, leading the Blue and Gold with 16. She has now reached double digits in assists for the second time this season. Right behind her with 13 assists for the night was freshman Nicole Pivetti (Modena, Italy/Liceo Wiligelmo), who has now reached double figures in assists over her last four matches.  

Pivetti, Kain, and freshman Elien Peeters (Herdersem, Belgium/Onze Lieve Vrouwecollege) each had a service ace for the night. Sophomore Tatjana Calimpong-Burke (Waianae, HI/Iolani) led the Setters with two solo blocks.

Set 1: NYIT 25, Pace 17
Dropping their first set over the last 13 frames, the Setters were unable to rattle off a strong run of serves and found themselves attempting to catch up with NYIT after falling behind 4-3. The Bears were able to hold Pace to a single serve on 12 occasions in the set. Four Setters led the Pace attack with two kills each in the set: Quinones, Lecker, Fontanet, and sophomore Maria Snelling (Cleveland, OH/Gilmour Academy). Kain recorded her first four assists of the night, while Vaiano picked up six digs.

Set 2: Pace 25, NYIT 23
The second set looked to be heading the way of the first after NYIT was able to take control from a 6-6 tie to roar ahead 17-11. Not ready to go away quietly, the Setters were able to limit the Bears' serving opportunities and pull to within three at 22-19. A five-point run off the serve of Pivetti put the Setters ahead 24-22, and took the set two serves later following an NYIT attack error. Fontanet piloted the attack with five kills, while Quinones added another four. Kain once again led the Blue and Gold in assists, registering six.  

Set 3: NYIT 25, Pace 14
NYIT came out fierce to open up the third set, going on an early seven-point run to take a 10-3 lead. The deficit proved to be too much for the Setters to mount another comeback, as the Bears were able to rattle off multiple multi-serve runs to shut down the Blue and Gold for the frame. Pace was held to just three kills in the set, courtesy of Calimpong-Burke, Snelling, and Kathleen Benson (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park).

Set 4: NYIT 25, Pace 23
The final set of the night showcased the strong resiliency of the Setters, who were able to quickly bounce back from the previous frame and push NYIT to the brink. The Blue and Gold earned a 9-6 lead during a run served by Kain that they were able to hold until the Bears knotted the score up at 15-15. Falling behind 18-15, it was Kain again serving the Setters back on top, 20-18. NYIT was able to recoup following a timeout and reclaimed the lead, eventually leading to a 22-22 stalemate. The Setters fought valiantly, but were unable to record the final three points, falling in the set, 25-23. Lecker and Fontanet both registered three kills in the closing frame. Kain picked up her final five assists, while Lecker finished the night with eight digs.

Up Next
The Setters hit the road for the first time since Oct. 10 for the start of a brief two-match NE10 road trip. The Blue and Gold travel to Saint Michael's College on Friday for a 5 p.m. matchup.