NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College women's volleyball team (7-11) halted a seven-match losing streak on Tuesday, defeating Lehman College (6-8), 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-21, 25-12) in non-conference action at the Kaplan Center. The Knights also defeated Lehman at the Oneonta Invitational back on Aug. 30 by the same 3-1 score.
The first set went back and forth, eventually reaching a 15-15 stalemate. The Knights then turned up the heat when sophomore setter
Kristen Maddock (Medford, N.Y.) took her serve, winning the final 10 points, thanks in part to four aces by Maddock, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Lehman jumped out to a sizeable 8-2 lead in the second set before the Knights got some momentum back. They rallied to take a 19-16 lead, but the Lightning fired back with seven straight points to go up by four. The Knights cut the deficit to one after breaking three set points, but a kill by Salveira Gonzalez shut down the Knights' rally before they could tie to give Lehman its first game of the night.
The third frame started in the same fashion as the second, with the Lightning running out to an 8-3 lead. The Knights grabbed their first lead at 12-11, and never looked back, taking the game, 25-21.
The Knights looked poised to wrap things up in the fourth stanza, grabbing the first four points and running out to a 12-4 lead. They continued to run away with what became the final set, clinching the match with a 25-12 victory.
Junior outside hitter
Kayla Kurka (Islip, N.Y.) threw down a match-high 13 kills on Tuesday, while senior middle blocker
Natalie Candarelli (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) added nine with a hitting percentage of .368. Sophomore setter
Claire Scully (Bloomfield, N.J.) led the Knights with 21 assists, while Maddock dished out 15. Maddock also had a match-best six service aces. Senior libero
Brianna Johnston (Breezy Point, N.Y.) picked up 20 digs. Freshman right side
Megan Williams (Glenmont, N.Y.) led all players with 3.0 total blocks on the evening.
Lehman's Gonzalez matched Kurka for a match-high 13 kills. Imani Dubois handed out 18 assists, while Cari English recorded 17 digs.
The Knights will look to put a winning streak together this weekend when they compete in a tri-match against Manhattanville College and York College (N.Y.). The first match at Manhattanville on Saturday, Sept. 27, will be with the host Valiants at 11 a.m., and then the Knights will face off with York at 1 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
