FLUSHING, N.Y. – Coming off a two-week break, the Queens College volleyball team welcomed the defending East Coast Conference champions Daemen University Wildcats to Flushing Saturday afternoon in conference play.
The Knights ended a seven-game streak of sweeps as they earned a third set victory but were unable to complete the comeback falling 3-1
(Set Scores: 22-25, 11-25,25-23, 14-25) as senior
Alexis Deodat (Tampa Bay, FL) tallied a match-high 13 kills and sophomore
Despina Boudouris (Athens, Greece) notched her seventh double-double of the season with 30 assists and 15 digs on the afternoon.
With the loss, the Knights move to 3-3 in conference play.
Recap (Final Score 1-3 22-25, 11-25,25-23, 14-25)
Queens came out of the gate firing as Deodat and freshman
Kendall Conrad (Carrolltown, PA) combined for five kills for a 7-0 lead forcing the Wildcats to take a timeout.
The Knights continued to stay ahead despite Daemen cutting the score down to 9-5 before sophomore
Christina Franco (Lynbrook, N.Y.) and junior
Anjeline Arnakis (Bayside, N.Y.) combined for a 4-2 run taking a 13-7 advantage.
Daemen would rally back with a 9-1 run taking a 16-14 lead before both sides exchanged points. Trailing 21-18, sophomore
Alicia Cervera Sospedra (Valencia, Spain) started a 4-1 run with Boudouris notching a service ace and Deodat tallying back-to-back kills to tie the first set 22-22.
But two straight errors by the Knights would allow Daemen to capitalize as they earned a 25-22 first-set win for a 1-0 lead.
Despite opening the second set with a 2-0 lead, the Wildcats went on a 12-2 run in which the Knights could not respond to. Seven attacking errors would hurt the Knights as they fell 2-0 in the match.
The third set would be a see-saw in the first 10 points before Daemen went on a 4-0 run to take a 9-5 lead.
A kill by Arnakis would start an 11-3 run as the Knights took a 16-12 advantage. Attacking errors would keep the Wildcats in the third set as they tied the set 16-16. But Conrad and Cervera combined for three kills as Queens went on a 5-1 run taking a 21-17 lead.
But the experienced Wildcats continued to fight back as they went on a 5-0 run taking a 22-21 lead.
With Damen looking to earn their eighth straight sweep over the Knights, a setting error by the Wildcats would knot the set 22-22 before Franco notched a kill for a 23-22 lead.
Daemen would respond with a kill of their own before a kill by Franco put the Knights up 24-23. A solo block by Arnakis would give Queens a chance for a comeback as they forced a fourth set with a 25-23 victory.
Trailing 2-1, the Knights went ahead 4-3 before both sides started to exchange points. With the fourth set tied 8-8, errors would haunt the Knights as they fell behind 15-11 before a 5-0 run by the Wildcats allowed them to complete the 3-1 victory with a 25-14 fourth-set win.
Match Highlights
- Deodat notched a match-high 13 kills, while Conrad tallied eight kills on the afternoon.
- Franco notched seven kills with 16 digs.
- While Arnakis tallied five kills and three blocks on the afternoon.
- Boudouris tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 30 assists and 15 digs.
- Freshman Ryann Frontera (Dripping Springs, TX) tallied a match-high 22 digs to go with four assists.
UP NEXT: Continuing ECC play, head coach
Stefan Leger and the Knights conclude the week against D'Youville University Saints on Sunday (Oct. 23) afternoon. The first serve is set for noon.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), Twitter (@QCKnights), and Instagram (qcknightsny), women's volleyball (qcknightsvb).
