GLASSBORO, N.J. – The Mount Saint Mary College women's volleyball team (6-11) fell to both Immaculata University (9-1) and Rowan University (6-6) by a score of 3-1 Saturday afternoon in a tri-match hosted by Rowan.
The Knights fell behind quickly in the first set against Immaculata, trailing 11-1 in the first 12 points. They rallied back to cut the deficit to just five at 22-17 late in the game, but ultimately fell, 25-18. The Knights could not get anything going in the second set, dropping the final 10 points of the set to fall, 25-5. They bounced back well in the third stanza, taking six of the final eight points to pick up a 25-18 win, but an early deficit in the fourth frame proved to be too much to overcome as they fell, 25-16, giving the Mighty Macs the match.
Junior outside hitter
Kayla Kurka (Islip, N.Y.) threw down a match-high nine kills in the Knights' opener, while senior middle blocker
Natalie Candarelli (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) followed close behind with eight. Sophomore setter
Kristen Maddock (Medford, N.Y.) dished out 19 assists, while freshman libero
Chelsea Barberan (Fishkill, N.Y.) led the team with 16 digs.
Arden Vizzard led the Mighty Macs with seven kills in the win, while Stephanie Johler picked up six. Maranda Jones led Immaculata with 13 assists, while Emily Swank had a match-best 17 digs.
The Knights' second match of the day proved to be another tough one with the tri-match's host. Rowan picked up the first two sets, 25-16 and 25-14, before the Knights picked up their play. They hit .304 in the third frame to take a 25-20 win. Mount Saint Mary had set point with a 24-23 lead late in the fourth stanza, but Rowan picked up the next two points to earn its first match point. The Knights managed to tie the match at 25-25, but the Profs took the final two points to grab the victory.
Candarelli tied for the match lead with 10 kills, while hitting a solid .350 in the loss. She also added 2.0 blocks. Maddock passed out another 17 assists, while Barberan added another 15 digs.
Rowan's Danielle Havlicek matched Candarelli with 10 kills in Saturday's finale. Mary-Grace Testa and Rebecca Dantonio tied with 15 assists each in the match, while Jennifer Vorel had 17 digs.
The Knights have a good chance to break their losing streak on Tuesday, Sept. 23, when they host Lehman College in their first home match since Sept. 3. The Knights defeated Lehman at the Oneonta Invitational, 3-1, back on Aug. 30. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. in the Kaplan Center.
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