ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Opening a two-game road stand to conclude the regular season, the Queens College volleyball team traveled to Rockville Centre, N.Y. as they matched up against the Lions of Molloy University at Quealy Gymnasium Tuesday evening.
Led by a career-high 20 kills from freshman
Kendall Conrad's (Carrolltown, PA) and freshman
Ryann Frontera's (Dripping Springs, TX) first career double-double as the rookie notched a career-high 12 assists and 21 digs, the Knights fell short in a see-saw match to the final score of 3-2
(Set Scores: 25-13, 24-26, 25-15, 17-25, 10-15) in East Coast Conference action.
With the loss, the Knights move to 11-12 overall and 5-4 in ECC play as Queens salvaged their first series split against Molloy since the 2013 season.
Recap (Final Score 2-3 25-13, 24-26, 25-15, 17-25, 10-15)
Queens came out of the gate firing as they quickly took an early 5-0 lead forcing Molloy to take a timeout.
Both sides would trade points before sophomore
Christina Franco's (Lynbrook, N.Y.) kill started a 9-3 run as Queens jumped ahead 20-10.
The Knights would close out the first set taking advantage of Molloy's errors with a 25-13 victory and a 1-0 lead.
The second set would see both teams exchange points early on, but with the second set tied 11-11, Queens' errors would help the home side go on a 7-0 run as they took an 18-11 advantage.
With the Knights trailing the second set 20-13, junior
Anjeline Arnakis (Bayside, N.Y.) and Conrad tallied multiple kills helping Queens went on a 7-0 run to tie the set at 20-20.
A 3-2 run by Molloy put them up 23-22 before
Alexis Deodat (Tampa Bay, FL) and Conrad helped Queens take a 24-23 lead. One point away from taking a commanding 2-0 lead, three straight attacking errors would help Molloy tie the match at 1-1 as the home side took the second set with a 26-24 victory.
The Lions would open the third set on an 8-4 run before sophomore
Alicia Cervera Sospedra (Valencia, Spain) helped Queens go on a 5-1 run to tie the third set 9-9.
Once again both teams would trade points but with the third set tied 13-13, Conrad took it upon herself as the rookie notched four kills in the 12-2 run as Queens took the third set with a 25-15 victory and a 2-1 match lead.
The Carrolltown native continued to pounce on the ball as the rookie tallied two quick kills as Queens opened the fourth set with a 4-2 advantage.
But attacking errors would keep the Lions in the set as Queens fell behind 7-4. But Queens showed no quit as Conrad and Franco combined for three kills to get within one, 8-7 before two separate 5-0 run by Molloy put them ahead 18-9.
But the Knights would not go away quietly as they rallied back with a 6-4 run to get within 22-15. However, Molloy would close the fourth set with a 25-17 victory to tie the match at 2-2.
Playing their fifth five-setter and third on the road this season, and just the first winner-takes all set in Rockville Centre since the 2013 season, Deodat and Conrad gave Queens a 2-1 lead before the Lions went on a 5-0 run to take a 6-2 advantage.
But the experienced Lions side would take a 12-5 lead before Queens showed this would not be an easy finish for the home side.
Arnakis and Deoat helped Queens go on a 3-0 run forcing a Molloy timeout but the Lions would earn the five-setter victory with a 15-10 fifth set to the final scoreline of 3-2.
Match Highlights
- Conrad tallied a career-high 20 kills on 53 attempts
- The 20 kills are the most by a freshman since the 2012 season when Arielle Dicoco notched 19 kills against the District of Columbia.
- With her performance against Molloy, Conrad has tied for the most kills (215) by a freshman since Dicoco notched 215 during the 2012 season.
- Franco notched her ninth double-double of the year as the sophomore recorded 13 kills and 13 digs.
- Deodat tallied nine kills and three blocks, while Arnakis notched five kills and five blocks on the evening.
- Cervera recorded a career-high 20 digs to go with three service aces.
- Boudouris notched her ninth double-double of the year with 37 assists and 17 digs to go with two kills.
- Freshman Libero Frontera tallied her first career double-double with 12 assists (career-high) and 21 digs on the evening.
- With their fifth five-setter match of the season, it is the most five-setter matches Queens has competed in since the 2016 season.
- On the season, the Knights are 3-2 in matches that have gone the distance.
UP NEXT: With a chance to lock up the #2 seed in next week's ECC Volleyball Tournament, head coach
Stefan Leger and the Knights conclude the regular season in Rochester, N.Y. on Friday (Nov.4) evening as they match up against the Redhawks of Roberts Wesleyan University. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
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).
