LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Competing on Day 1 of the Georgian Court Invitational, the Queens College volleyball team went against unbeaten Shepherd University Rams, a member of the PSAC Friday evening at GCU Wellness Center.
Match Recap (Final Score 0-3 | Sets 9-25, 19-25, 23-25)
The Knights were in for a tough matchup against a team who had dropped only three sets in their 5-0 start to the season. It was a slow start for the Knights in the first set from which they could not recover as Queens dropped the first set 25-9.
The Knights jumped ahead 2-0 to start the second set before the Rams went on a 5-1 run to take a 5-3 lead. Shepherd would continue to build their lead as they used a 5-0 run to take an 11-5 lead.
With the Knights struggling, the Rams looked on the verge of closing out a quick second set before the Knights started to fight back. Trailing 16-9, senior
Alexis Deodat (Tampa Bay, FL) led the charge as the Knights went on a 4-0 run to cut the deficit down to 16-13.
The Knights fought back as freshman
Lindsay Osterhoudt (Orlando, FL) started a 3-0 run as Queens were able to trim the deficit down to 17-16. But two attacking errors would hurt the Knights' fight back as they dropped the second set 25-19.
The third set was a see-saw of a battle as Queens looked to force a fourth set. Both sides exchanged leads as the third set saw nine tie scores and five lead changes as Queens looked like a different side.
With the set tied 5-5, the Rams went on an 8-3 run as they took a 13-8 lead. Queens fought back forcing Rams errors as they came back within one, 13-12. Led by sophomore
Despina Boudouris (Athens, Greece) and Deodat, the Knights went on a 4-0 run and took a 16-14 lead.
But Shepherd refused to go away as they produced a 4-0 run of their own and led 18-16 before errors tied the third set 18-18.
The Rams produced a 6-2 run and were on the verge of taking the third set as they led 24-20. But an attack error before sophomore
Alicia Cervera Sospedra (Valencia, Spain) produced back-to-back service aces and got the Knight within one of tying the third set and forcing a fourth.
But a Sospedra service error would give the Rams a 25-23 third set and 3-0 match victory.
Match Highlights
- Deodat led the offense tallying eight kills, and three blocks. While Osterhoudt notched four kills hitting a team-high .571 with three blocks.
- While freshman Taylor Smith (Temecula, CA) produced a career-high four blocks.
- Boudouris notched a team-high 13 assists.
UP NEXT: Head coach
Stefan Leger and his Knights conclude the GCU Invitational Saturday (Sept. 3) as they match up against The College of Saint Rose and host Georgian Court University. First serve is set for 10:00 A.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).
