FLUSHING, N.Y. – Wrapping up the Aline Pascale Lubin Invitational the Queens College women's volleyball team welcomed the Mountain Cats of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Hawks of Saint Anselm College to Fitzgerald Gymnasium in non-conference play.
In match one against the Mountain Cats, the Knights were led by the trio of senior
Christina Franco (Lynbrook, N.Y.), junior
Kendall Conrad (Carrolltown, PA), and rookie
Madi Hathaway (Edmond, OK) as they combined for 40 of the team's 54 kills, but it would the visitors who would take the first-ever meeting between each side in four sets.
In their final match of the weekend against the Hawks, the trio of Franco, Conrad, and rookie
Jonaida Donowa (Porter, TX) combined for 41 of the team's 59 kills to lead the Knights to a four-set victory to conclude the Aline Pascale Lubin Invitational on a strong note.
With Saturday's split, the Knights improved their record to 7-2 on the year. For the first time under head coach
Stefan Leger, the Knights have begun the year with a 7-2 record through the first two weekends of play.
MATCH ONE RECAP vs. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (L, 1-3 | Set Scores: 25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 23-25)
The Knights opened the first set with a 7-4 lead before the visitors tallied a 4-0 run to take a 8-7 advantage. But both sides would answer each other with two separate runs to tie the set on two separate occasions.
With the first set at 14-14, rookie Hathaway and senior Franco would combine for six kills as Queens took a commanding lead of 20-14 and never looked booked before junior
Maya Angelova (Kyustendil, Bulgaria) and Conrad helped Queens close out the first set with a kill and double-block to take a 1-0 match lead with a 25-20 first set victory.
The second set would be tied at 8-8 before the visitors took advantage of the Knights' errors for a 12-0 run and took a commanding lead of 20-8. But the Knights would not go away quietly as they answered back and were able to get within two points, 23-21, however, back-to-back errors would see the Mountain Cats tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-21 second set victory.
The Mountain Cats opened the third set on a 7-4 run and never trailed as they took advantage of six Knights attacking errors to earn a 25-18 third set victory and take a 2-1 match lead.
Needing to mount a comeback Queens traded points in the early going but it would be the visitors who would continue to keep a one-point lead intact. Trailing 20-16, junior
Lindsay Osterhoudt's (Orlando, FLA) kill started a 6-1 run while the duo of Franco and Conrad combined for four kills as Queens took a 22-21 lead since the opening first three points of the set. But it would be the Mountain Cats who would withstand the Knights' late rally to end the match on a 4-1 run and earn a 3-1 match victory with a 25-23 fourth set victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Franco led the Knights with her third double-double of the year recording a team-high 15 kills on .323 hitting % and 16 digs.
- Conrad notched 13 kills, six digs, three blocks, and a tied career-best five service aces.
- Rookie Hathaway recorded her straight third triple-double and fifth of her career by notching 12 kills, 11 assists, and 10 digs.
- Donowa recorded six kills and tied a career-best four blocks in the match.
- Osterhoudt notched four kills and three blocks in the match.
- Senior Despina Boudouris (Athens, Greece) recorded her third double-double of the year with 34 assists and 14 digs.
- Junior Sarah Munn (Torrance, CA) notched 23 digs, six assists, and one service ace in the match.
MATCH TWO RECAP vs. Saint Anselm (W, 3-1| Set Scores: 25-13, 24-26, 25-21, 25-20)
Looking to close out the second week of play on a strong note and notched their third win of the week, Queens matched up against the Hawks for the first time since the 2018 season and were in search of their first win over Saint Anselm since the 2013 season when Queens earned a 3-1 victory on Sept. 14.
The first set would see four ties and three lead changes in the early going. But with the Knights trailing 5-3, the trio of Franco, Hathaway, and Donowa would lead a 20-8 run as the Knights ran with the first set to the score of 25-13 and take a 1-0 match lead.
The Knights' offense would hit a scorching .455 with 16 kills as Franco, Conrad, and Donowa combined for 11 kills while Hathaway recorded three service aces.
The second set would see 12 ties and four lead changes but Queens' seven attacking errors would hurt the Knights as the Hawks tied the match with a 26-24 second set victory.
It would be the veteran duo of Franco and Conrad show in the third set as they combined for 11 kills on 23 attempts. Using two separate runs of 8-2 and 6-1 run the Knights raced out to a 10-4 lead and a 22-15 advantage. Despite a late rally from the Hawks, Franco and Conrad would put Queens in the driver's seat as the Knights earned a 25-21 third set victory and took a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set saw three ties but Queens would never trail as they found an answer for each run the Hawks attempted.
Queens jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but Saint Anselm would fight back to tie the set at 15-15.
As both teams traded the next four points, The Porter, Texas native would take over as she led a 5-0 run with a block before serving up three straight aces as Queens started to run away with the set.
Leading 22-17, the Hawks answered with a 3-1 run to get within three, 23-20 before a kill from Osterhoudt put Queens at match point before Conrad sealed Queens' seventh victory of the year with an ace as the Knights earned a 25-20 fourth set victory and a 3-1 match win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Franco led the Knights with her second straight double-double and fourth of the year with a season-best 17 kills on a hitting % of .417 to go with 15 digs.
- Conrad recorded a season-best 14 kills on a hitting % of .382 to go with two service aces and three digs.
- Donowa recorded 10 kills on a hitting % of .333 to go with career-best numbers of three service aces and five blocks.
- Hathaway fell short of her fourth double-double of the weekend recording her third double-double of the year with 19 assists and 12 digs. The rookie notched eight kills on hitting % of .304 and tied a career-best three service aces.
- Osterhoudt notched seven kills and three blocks in the victory.
- Boudouris recorded 33 assists and six assists in the match.
NEXT MATCH
The Knights open the week in Garden City, N.Y. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 as they match up against the Panthers of Adelphi University. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
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