AMHERST, N.Y. – Having earned the #4 seed to the East Coast Conference Volleyball tournament, the Queens College volleyball team matched up against #1 seed and defending champions Wildcats of Daemen University inside Lumsden Gymnasium in Game 1 of the Semi-Final matches Friday evening.
Facing an uphill task, the Knights would push the Wildcats to their limits as they forced a fourth set and looked to be taking the match into the deciding fifth set, but ultimately Queens would fall short in a 3-1 loss
(Set Scores: 24-26, 16-25, 27-25, 16-25) to the host to bow of the ECC Tournament in the semi-final stage for the second straight year.
ECC Semi-Final Recap Set Scores: 24-26, 16-25, 27-25, 16-25)
It was a back-and-forth affair to the start of the first set, but the Knights trailing 7-6, a Wildcats service error would start a 5-1 run for Queens with junior
Christina Franco (Lynbrook, N.Y.) and sophomore
Lindsay Osterhoudt (Orlando, FL) recording a kill as the Knights took an 11-8 lead.
The Wildcats would respond with a 5-1 run of their own to retake a slim lead of 13-12.
Led by sophomore
Kendall Conrad (Carrolltown, PA) and Franco, Queens would rally back using an 8-3 run as they took a 20-16 lead.
But it would be the Wildcats who would steal the first set with a 10-4 run to take the first set to the score of 26-24 and take a 1-0 match lead.
The second set would start with both teams exchanging leads but with the Knights leading 7-6, the Widlcats would use a 9-3 to run away with the set to take a commanding lead of 2-0 with a 25-16 second set victory.
In the third set, a 4-4 tie would quickly see the Knights fall behind to the score of 9-6 before Franco and junior
Despina Boudouris (Athens, Greece) started a rally as Queens used a 5-0 run to take a 10-9 advantage.
But as Daemen used a 3-0 run to reclaim a 12-11 lead, the Knights would not go down without a fight as they used a 9-3 run to take a 20-15 lead.
But facing one of the top and toughest teams in the region, the Wildcats would rally back using a 9-4 run of their own to tie the set at 24-24.
Now it would be a battle of who could hold their composure as Queens looked to force at least one more set to keep their season going.
With the set tied at 24-24, both teams would commit back-to-back errors and kept the third set tied at 25-25 before senior
Alexis Deodat (Tampa Bay, FL) made her presence felt at the net as she recorded a crucial block to put the Knights up 26-25.
Queens would force a fourth set as the Wildcat committed their eighth attacking error of the set as the Knights earned a 27-25 fourth set victory and cut their deficit down to 2-1.
The Knights would end a nine-set losing streak to the Wildcats and would also earn their first set victory in Amherst since the 2017 season.
Using the momentum of their third set victory, Queens would take an early 4-1 lead as Franco recorded three kills and one service ace. But as the Wildcats cut the visitors' lead down to 4-3, Queens would record two blocks before sophomore
Sarah Munn (Torrance, CA) recorded a service ace to give the Knights an 8-3 lead.
However, the Wildcats would slowly claw their way back into the set and tie the set at 12-12.
With the home side having shifted the momentum, Queens would commit three attacking errors in the Wildcats 8-0 run to take a commanding lead of 20-12, a deficit the Knights team was unable to recover from as the Wildcats earned a 25-16 victory and defeated Queens to the final score of 3-1.
By the Numbers
- Conrad recorded her sixth double-double of the year with a team-high 12 kills and 10 digs to go with four blocks on the evening.
- Franco tallied her 10th double-double of the year with 11 kills and 13 digs to go with one service ace and two blocks.
- In what turned out to be the final match of their collegiate career seniors Deodat and Anjeline Arnakis (Bayside, N.Y.) combined for 10 kills, four blocks, and five digs.
- Osterhoudt recorded four kills hitting a team-high .333 to go with six blocks on the evening.
- Boudouris recorded her 11th double-double of the year with 33 assists and 14 digs.
- With 33 assists on the evening, the junior has recorded 1890 career assists moving her to sixth All-Time in the program record book.
Head Coach Stefan Leger Post Match Quote:
"This was a bittersweet end to a great season. A match like today shows that we are right on the cusp of reaching the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season. The contributions that everyone had came together to have us play some very good high-level volleyball. I'm extremely proud of the team for what we accomplished this year and we are hungry to get better for the 2024 season and beyond. Lex and Anj are cornerstones of what the program has become since I started working at QC and their leadership on and off the court will be fundamental to what we continue to do for years to come."
Season Highlights:
- For the first time in 15 years, the Knights have finished a season with a winning record as they conclude the 2023 season with an overall record of 13-11 and a 7-5 record in East Coast Conference play.
- The Knights would finish with an even record at home (6-6), and away (5-5) while going undefeated with a record of 2-0 on a neutral court.
- Three Knights earned ECC All-Conference selections for the second straight year (link).
- In the past two years, Queens has recorded double-digit wins and are 25-24 in that time frame.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), and Instagram (qcknightsny), women's volleyball (qcknightsvb).
