PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Kicking off its final homestand of the season, the Pace University volleyball team defeated Caldwell University on Friday night in a three-set sweep. The win improves the Setters' record to 13-15 for the year, and pushes the Blue and Gold's home mark to 8-2.

Inside the Numbers
Leading the Setters for the second straight match was Tatjana Calimpong-Burke (Waianae, HI/Iolani), who picked up her second double-double of the year. The sophomore tallied 13 kills in the match, the only Setter to reach double digits, and added 15 digs defensively. Senior Sydney Lecker (Littleton, CO/Chatfield) and junior Kathleen Benson (Kings Park, NY/Kings Park) each added eight kills for Pace. It was Benson's season-best performance on the offensive side.
 
Defensively, four Setters reached double digits in digs. Team-leading sophomore Danielle Vaiano (Seaford, NY/St. Anthony's) was the match leader with 23, bringing her season total to 416. In addition to Calimpong-Burke, junior Claudia Fontanet (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Academia Maria Reina) and sophomore Samantha Nidini (Houston, TX/Clearlake) each made plays on the defensive side, recording 14 and 12 digs, respectively.
 
Nidini led the Blue and Gold for a second-straight match with 23 assists. It was the 12^th time this season that Pace's leading assister has eclipsed 20, and brought her season total to 489. Freshman Nicole Pivetti (Modena, Italy/Liceo Wiligelmo) was second on the team for the night with nine. As a team, Pace combined for six blocks compared to Caldwell's two.

Set 1: Pace 25, Caldwell 22
Both teams came out in the first set matching each other stride for stride, as neither attack was able to go on a sustained run. Despite Caldwell having the longest point streak of the opening frame with five to go ahead 14-10, the Setters were able to limit the Cougar serves for the rest of the set and eventually even up the score at 21-21. Pace and Caldwell traded points over the next two serves, but the Blue and Gold managed to rattle off three straight to put the set away. Calimpong-Burke led the set with her first four kills of the night, while Lecker and Benson each added three. Nidini registered her first six assists of the night, while Vaiano and Calimpong-Burke led the Setters with six digs each in the opener.

Set 2: Pace 25, Caldwell 17
The second set began similar to the first, with both teams playing evenly to an 8-8 score. Pace would win back the serve and put together multiple multi-point runs while forcing Caldwell to go one-and-out on five consecutive serves, building their lead to 21-13. The deficit was too much for the Cougars to fight back from, and Pace won the second game with a 25-17 final. Calimpong-Burke and Lecker continued where they left off in the previous set, leading the Pace attack with five and four kills. Defensively, Vaiano added 11 digs to her total in the frame. Nidini contributed 10 of Pace's 15 assists.

Set 3: Pace 25, Caldwell 21
Continuing the trend of the night, the final set began with Pace and Caldwell playing each other to multiple draws. The Cougars sported themselves multiple three-point leads, but were unable to distance themselves from the Setters, who jumped ahead 7-6. After several back-and-forths, the score was locked at 15-15. Pace ran off four straight points to go up 19-15, but Caldwell roared back to quickly knot things back up at 20-20. The Blue and Gold quickly rebounded, scoring five of the final six points to pick up the sweep with a 25-21 final frame. Fontanet was the leading attacker in the frame with five kills, while Calimpong-Burke added her final four for the night. Nidni registered her final seven assists, while Pivetti recorded six of her nine for the match in the third set. Fontanet was also the Setters' defensive leader in the closer, picking up eight digs. Calimpong-Burke and Vaiano each added six.

Up Next:
It will be a short night of rest for the Setters, who close out their home season tomorrow afternoon. The Blue and Gold will host conference opponent Merrimack College at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Goldstein Fitness Center as the team celebrates Senior Day.