Dowling Box Score
American International Box Score
OAKDALE, N.Y. – Senior middle blocker Jovana Pavlovic, and junior outside hitter Suzanne Byrne combined for 59 kills and 71 digs Saturday afternoon, as the Queens College volleyball team competed in matches against host Dowling College, and American International College. The Knights fell by a 3-0 count (25-22, 25-15, 26-24) in the opener against the Golden Lions, before dropping a five-set marathon to the Yellow Jackets (22-25, 25-20, 14-25, 25-22, 15-10) in the nightcap.
Match 1: Dowling 3, Queens 0
Byrne (Richmond, B.C.) led the way for the Knights (2-8 ECC) in the East Coast Conference match, hitting .263 on 11 kills and 15 digs. Pavlovic (Belgrade, Serbia) added 10 kills and a team-best 16 digs, while senior setter Stephanie Schroeder (Lynbrook, N.Y.) filled the stat sheet with seven kills, 26 assists and eight digs.
Dowling (20-3, 9-0) outhit the Knights by a .215-.142 count, and held edges in kills (50-35) and points (58-40).
Queens came back from a 17-8 deficit in the first set to pull within a 24-22 tally off a kill by freshman middle blocker Christina Hickey (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), before the Golden Lions closed out the stanza with the next point.
After Dowling controlled set two, the teams battled through an extra-time third set. The Knights broke free from an 18-all score to take a 24-22 lead. However, the Golden Lions ripped off the next four points to wrap up the match.
Match 2: American International 3, Queens 2
Pavlovic led all players with 22 kills to go with 15 digs and four assisted blocks, while Byrne hit .333 with 16 kills and 25 digs. Freshman defensive specialist Rita Romeo (Glen Oaks, N.Y.) led all players with 29 digs, while Schroeder (43 assists) and Hickey (five aces) registered four and three blocks, respectively.
The Knights (5-15) held a .187-.152 margin in hitting percentage, while the Yellow Jackets (13-13) were slightly better in kills (55-54) and points (72.5-71.5).
After the teams traded the first two sets, Queens hit .424 on 14 kills and an error-free 33 attempts in turning back AIC in the third frame, 25-14. The Yellow Jackets used a set-ending 6-1 run in the fourth set, setting up the fifth and deciding stanza.
In the fifth set, the teams were tied up on six occasions – and QC took a 10-9 lead on a kill by Schroeder off a pass from Romeo. From there AIC ran off the next six points to capture the triumph.
Head coach Leanna Taylor's Knights are back in action Tuesday night (Oct. 25), when they play host to Bloomfield College in a non-conference matchup at Fitzgerald Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
