Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Volleyball team opened the home schedule on Tuesday night with a hard fought 25-22, 18-25, 23-25, 25-23, 9-15 non-conference loss to visiting New Rochelle. Sophomore Morgan Burke (Ringwood, N.J.) led the offensive attack and matched her career-high with 14 kills.
 
The Mount got off to a good start with 15 kills in the opening frame and used an 8-0 run late in the set to open a 22-16 advantage. Senior Jackie Survilla (West Islip, N.Y.) led the charge for the Knights with a pair of kills and two service aces.
 
New Rochelle rallied to take the next two frames, overcoming a 21-20 deficit with a 5-2 run to take a tightly contested third set and move in front 2-1. The Knights rallied themselves in the fourth frame, using a 5-2 run of their own to even the match at two sets apiece.
 
New Rochelle controlled the fifth set from the start and opened a 6-2 lead. The Blue Angels pulled in front 10-4 and used a pair of Mount Saint Mary miscues to close out their second win of the season.
 
New Rochelle had three players reach double-figures in kills with Imani DeBose and Victoria Alomar leading the way with 13 winners apiece. Cristal Liciaga handed out a team-high 27 assists, while Briana Garcia led all players with 27 digs. Tamara Beckford finished off a strong match with 10 kills and three total blocks.
 
Burke reached 14 kills for the second time over the first five matches of the season and hit .233 on Tuesday. Madelyn Barberan (Fishkill, N.Y.) continued her strong early season play with 10 winners for the Knights, a pair of blocks and 16 digs.
 
Nicole Spinelli (Wantagh, N.Y.) put away six kills for the Mount and led the team with four total blocks, while Survilla finished up with four aces, four kills and 15 digs.
Kim Gries (Hicksville, N.Y.) handed out a match-high 36 assists and lifted nine digs, while Chelsea Barberan (Fishkill, N.Y.) led the team with 18 digs. Julimar Figueroa (Dorado, Puerto Rico) added 10 digs and an ace for the Knights.
 
New Rochelle finished the night with a 56-45 advantage in kills and a 14-6 edge in service aces. Liciaga led the way with five aces, with Melanie Lopez Soto adding four.
 
Tuesday's loss drops Mount Saint Mary to 1-4 overall on the season. The Knights return to action on Friday with two matches at the New Paltz Invitational. The Mount will take on Stockton and Southern Vermont starting at 5:00 p.m.