EAST STROUDSBURG, PA. – Opening the East Stroudsburg University Tournament on Friday evening, the Queens College women's volleyball team faced off against the Lions of Georgian Court University inside Koehler Fieldhouse.
Matching up against the Lions for the second time this season and looking to avenge an early road loss, the Knights overcame a sluggish start as they rallied behind rookie setter
Kylynn White (Chicago, IL) and the senior duo of outside hitter
Kendall Conrad (Carrolltown, PA) and middle blocker
Lindsay Osterhoudt (Orlando, Fla). The trio combined for 39 kills, eight blocks, and seven service aces to lead Queens to a hard-fought 3-2 comeback victory over the Lions.
Match Recap – Queens 3, Georgian Court 2 (Set Scores: 17-25, 25-15, 22-25, 25-23, 15-10)
It was a slow start for the Knights, who quickly fell behind 15-4 and were unable to recover, committing eight attacking errors in a 25-17 first-set loss.
Looking to build momentum, the Knights opened the first 10 points of the second set with a 6-4 advantage. Georgian Court stayed within striking distance, keeping the deficit to just one point on several occasions. With the Knights holding a narrow 12-11 lead, the duo of senior middle blocker
Maya Angelova (Kyustendil, Bulgaria) and Conrad delivered three consecutive kills to extend the lead to 15-11, forcing the Lions to call a timeout.
The timeout did little to slow the Knights' momentum, as White delivered two service aces, followed by a block from Angelova and senior setter
Jayna Marie Lorenzo (Rodeo, CA) that pushed Queens to a 19-11 lead, their largest of the set.
A Lions kill briefly halted the Knights' run, but Angelova and outside hitter
Elizabeth Cerullo (Saint James, N.Y.) quickly responded with back-to-back kills and a block to extend Queens' lead to 22-12.
After the Lions scored back-to-back points, Marie Lorenzo answered with two kills, helping the Knights close the second set on a 3-1 run to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-15 victory.
Georgian Court opened the third set with a 3-1 lead, but Queens responded with a 5-2 run to go up 6-4, fueled by a pair of service aces from the duo of Osterhoudt and White.
With the set tied at 8-8 and both teams trading service errors, Queens responded with a 4-1 run to take a 12-9 lead. However, the Lions answered back with their own 4-1 run to grab a 13-12 advantage, forcing the Knights to call a timeout.
Queens stayed close with Georgian Court, but the Lions ultimately secured the third set and a 2-1 match lead with a 25-22 victory.
The fourth set featured nine ties and five lead changes as both teams battled back and forth. With Queens trailing 13-11, a kill from White sparked a 7-3 run, highlighted by Marie Lorenzo's kill and two blocks, giving the Knights an 18-16 lead and forcing a Lions timeout.
However, the timeout halted the Knights' momentum, as the Lions responded with a 4-0 run to retake a 20-18 lead, prompting a Queens timeout.
Determined to force a fifth set, the Knights answered after the timeout with Osterhoudt and White combining for four kills in a 5-1 run to take a 23-21 advantage, leading the Lions to call their final timeout of the set.
Just as the Lions used the break to tie the set at 23-23, Pennsylvania native Conrad responded with a block and a kill, securing a thrilling 25-23 fourth-set victory and tying the match at 2-2.
Playing in their third fifth-set match of the year, the Knights started strong with a 4-2 lead before the Lions evened the score at 5-5. A kill from Conrad, along with two Lions errors, then put Queens ahead 8-6 as both teams switched sides.
The quick break seemed to help the Lions, who went on a 3-1 run to tie the set. With the score knotted at 9-9, seniors Conrad and Osterhoudt combined to push the Knights ahead 11-9. After a Lions kill brought them within one, White's 17
th kill of the match gave Queens a 12-10 lead, forcing Georgian Court to call a timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Conrad recorded a kill to extend the lead to three points, followed by a double block from Angelova and White that gave the Knights match point, prompting the Lions to call their final timeout.
It was Conrad who put the finishing touch with her 10th kill of the match, as Queens secured a thrilling 15-10 fifth set victory to complete a 3-2 comeback win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- White led the Knights offense with her fourth career double-double with a match-high 17 kills on a career-best .424 hitting % to go with 12 assists, nine digs, two blocks, and tied a career-best with six service aces for the second straight match.
- Osterhout recorded 12 kills to go with three blocks, three digs, and one service ace.
- Conrad tallied 10 kills to go with four blocks and two digs.
- Marie Lorenzo tallied a team-high 28 assists, seven digs, a career-best six kills on a .313 hitting % and five blocks.
- Angelova recorded six kills on a .400 hitting % to go with a match-high six blocks.
Next Match
The Knights conclude the ESU Tournament on Saturday, September 20, as they match up against the host East Stroudsburg University Warriors at 11 a.m. before wrapping up their trip against the Penmen of Southern New Hampshire University at 4 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), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), and Instagram (qcknightsny), women's volleyball (qcknightsvb).
