Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Volleyball team dropped its home opener on Tuesday following a hard fought 25-18, 22-25, 21-25, 23-25 Skyline Conference loss to visiting Farmingdale State.
Grace Riddle (Wantagh, N.Y.) continued a standout season with 22 kills to lead the Knights.
Tuesday's loss drops Mount Saint Mary to 8-7 overall on the season and to 2-2 in league play. Farmingdale State improves to 6-8 and a perfect 2-0 in conference action.
First Set
- Mount Saint Mary raced out to a 10-1 lead to begin the match and ballooned its lead to 20-9 following a 4-0 spurt keyed by a Riddle kill and two service aces from Jackie Wolf (Kings Park, N.Y.).
- The Rams would climb back to within 24-18, but a Stephanie Mele (Newburgh, N.Y.) winner pushed the Mount out to a 1-0 lead.
- Mount Saint Mary put away 13 kills in the opening stanza, to nine for the Rams, and hit .179 as a team.
Second Set
- Farmingdale State evened the match after hitting .333 with 18 kills in the second frame.
- The Rams broke open a back-and-forth set with a 5-0 run that pushed them in front 20-15.
- The Knights would not be able to get closer than three points until a kill from Renee Hydo (Bethpage, N.Y.) and a Farmingdale attack error brought them to within 24-22.
- Farmingdale State finished off the set with a Mikayla Profeta winner to even things at 1-1.
Third Set
- The Rams grabbed a 2-1 lead with 12 more kills in the third frame.
- Mount Saint Mary held leads of 7-3 and 8-5, before a 5-0 run for the visitors saw them push in front 10-8.
- The Mount used a 5-2 stretch to regain a 14-13 advantage, using kills from Mele and Wolf and a Hydo service ace.
- The Mount would stretch its lead to 18-15 after three winners from Riddle and a Ram miscue.
- The visitors responded with six of the next seven points to surge in front 21-19.
- The Mount pulled to within 22-21 on a Mele winner, but a pair of attack errors sent Farmingdale State to the set victory.
Fourth Set
- The Rams finished the fourth set with a 13-8 advantage in kills as they battled past the Knights.
- Farmingdale State opened an early 5-3 lead, but couldn't pull further away than three points until a 3-1 stretch saw it move in front 19-15 on a Profeta winner.
- Mount Saint Mary rallied with a Riddle kill and a Wolf ace to get to within 20-19, but another 3-1 run capped by a Kalena Ricketts kill pushed the Rams in front 23-20.
- Riddle's 22nd kill of the night brought the Mount to within 23-22, but the Rams closed out the match with a pair of Profeta kills.
For The Knights
- Riddle reached the 20-kill plateau for the sixth time this season with her 22 on Tuesday. She hit .262 in the match and finished with eight digs.
- Wolf produced six kills for the Knights, adding eight digs and five aces.
- Mele rounded out the night with four winners and the team's lone block.
- Fran Cammarata (Carmel, N.Y.) handed out 31 assists for the Knights.
- Alyssa Barbara (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) finished up with a team-high 23 digs and a trio of service aces.
For The Rams
- Profeta led three players in double-figures in kills with a team-high 19, hitting a blistering .536 on the night.
- Kate Flamio posted a double-double with 12 kills and 21 digs.
- Ricketts contributed 12 winners and five blocks.
- Molly Miller and Lexi Cavalieri split the setting duties and combined for 45 assists.
Match Statistics
- Farmingdale State finished the night with a 52-39 advantage in kills, hitting .205 as a team against .156 for the Knights.
- Aces on the night went to the Mount 10-4.
- Farmingdale State dominated the net with a 5-1 edge in total team blocks.
What's Next
- Mount Saint Mary is off until October 4 when it welcomes Manhattanville to the Kaplan Center.
- Farmingdale State will travel to league rival Purchase on Thursday.
