FLUSHING, N.Y. – The Queens College volleyball team made it two in a row Tuesday night at Fitzgerald Gymnasium, as the Knights hit a season-high .259 en route to a 3-0, East Coast Conference triumph over visiting Molloy College (25-18, 25-14, 25-23).
Queens (4-13, 1-7 ECC) received a strong .483 hitting percentage from senior middle blocker, Jovana Pavlovic (Belgrade, Serbia), who put down 15 kills on just one error in 29 attempts. She and sophomore setter, Ceren Kilic (Istanbul, Turkey; 16 assists) led the defensive charge with 12 and 17 digs, respectively, while freshman middle blocker Christina Hickey (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) swatted a match-high four blocks (one solo). Senior setter Stephanie Schroeder (Lynbrook, N.Y.) nearly missed a double-double with 18 assists and nine digs.
Pavlovic put down three kills in a 9-2 run for the Knights over the Lions (7-14, 4-5 ECC) in the first set, helping to pace QC to a 1-0 lead in the match. In total, the senior put down seven kills in the opening frame on 12 error-free attempts (.583).
In the second set, Queens broke free from an 8-5 lead with a six-point spread, which included two kills from Kilic. Schroeder added two kills in a 5-0 spurt to further push the lead to 20-10 – giving the Knights a two-set lead.
The third set was a contentious one, as it featured nine ties and four lead changes throughout. With the score tied at 16-all, two straight points gave the Knights the lead for good. A four-point run later pushed the advantage to 23-18, before Molloy stormed back to pull within 24-23. However, it was an assisted block by Schroeder and Hickey on match point that lifted QC to its first ECC victory of the season.
Head coach Leanna Taylor's Knights will look to ride this momentum into a Friday night (Oct. 21), ECC match with the University of the District of Columbia at Fitzgerald Gymnasium. First serve is slated for 7 p.m., and the match is part of the ECC's "Dig Pink" week to raise breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support for the cause, and donations to the Side-Out Foundation will be accepted at the door.
