FLUSHING, N.Y. – Making a quick stop inside Fitzgerald Gymnasium on Wednesday evening, the Queens College women's volleyball team welcomed the defending NE10 champion American International College Yellow Jackets for a non-conference matchup.
In a competitive matchup that featured 22 ties and 13 lead changes, the Knights pushed the Yellow Jackets to the limit, as rookie setter
Kylynn White (Chicago, IL) led the way with a match-high 17 kills. Despite their strong effort, Queens ultimately fell by a final score of 3-1.
Match Recap – Queens 1, American International College 3 (Set Scores: 22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 22-25)
The Yellow Jackets opened the match with a 4-1 lead before the Knights responded with a 7-3 run, highlighted by two kills and an ace from White, to take an 8-7 advantage.
Both sides continued to trade leads until the senior trio of setter
Jayna Marie Lorenzo (Rodeo, CA), outside hitter
Kendall Conrad (Carrolltown, PA), and middle blocker
Lindsay Osterhoudt (Orlando, Fla) powered Queens on a 7-4 run to go up 16-14, combining for four kills and a block during the stretch.
However, five costly errors proved pivotal as the Yellow Jackets regained momentum, taking a 19-17 lead and closing out the set with a 25-22 win to go ahead 1-0 in the match.
The Knights responded strongly in the second set, as the duo of White and senior middle blocker
Maya Angelova (Kyustendil, Bulgaria) combined for four kills, an ace, and a block to build an early 8-4 lead.
The Yellow Jackets countered with a 6-2 run to even the score at 10-10. Queens briefly regained momentum, taking a 13-11 edge behind a kill and a service ace from Osterhoudt, but AIC answered with a 3-0 run to go ahead 14-13.
Refusing to back down, Queens surged ahead with a 6-0 run led by Conrad and senior
Elena Leung (Bellerose, N.Y.), taking a 19-16 lead. Although AIC closed the gap with a kill and block, the Knights responded as Osterhoudt and White delivered three consecutive kills to push the lead to 22-19, forcing a Yellow Jackets timeout.
The stoppage allowed AIC to close within one on three separate occasions, but timely plays by Osterhoudt and Conrad kept Queens in control. Conrad's third kill of the set sealed a 25-23 victory, leveling the match at 1-1.
Queens opened the third set with a narrow 5-4 lead, but AIC responded with a 12-6 run to surge ahead 17-10. Trailing 22-13, the Knights attempted a late comeback and trimmed the deficit to five, but the Yellow Jackets held on to take the set 25-19 and a 2-1 match lead.
Looking to force a decisive fifth set, Queens came out strong in the fourth. The trio of White, Osterhoudt, and Angelova combined for four kills to fuel a 7-2 run and prompt an early AIC timeout.
The break, however, halted the Knights' momentum, as the Yellow Jackets responded with a 5-0 run to tie the set at 7-7. A kill from Conrad snapped the run and helped spark an 11-6 surge by Queens, giving them an 18-13 advantage.
The break would stop the Knights' momentum as AIC went on a 5-0 run to tie the set at 7-7. A kill from Conrad would put an end to the AIC run as Queens went on an 11-6 run to take an 18-13 lead.
But a late 12-4 surge by AIC turned the tide, as the visitors claimed the fourth set 25-22 and earned the 3-1 win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- White paced the offense with her fourth career double-double, recording a match-high 17 kills on a career-best .438 hitting % to go with 13 assists, nine digs, and three service aces.
- Osterhoudt tallied eight kills, two assists, one block, and one service ace.
- Conrad recorded eight kills and three blocks.
- Angelova notched five kills and five blocks.
- Marie Lorenzo tallied 22 assists, eight digs, and four kills to go with one block and one service ace.
- Sophomore defensive specialist Olivia Hyman (Forest Hills, N.Y.) and senior libero Alexis Stoehrer (Medford, N.Y.) combined for 24 digs.
Next Match
The Knights begin a three-match East Coast Conference road trip on Saturday, September 27, traveling to Buffalo, N.Y., to face the defending ECC champions D'Youville University Saints. First serve is set for noon.
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).
