FLUSHING, N.Y. – Returning to Fitzgerald Gymnasium, the Queens College women's volleyball team hosted the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans in East Coast Conference (ECC) action Saturday afternoon.
Three Knights combined for 31 kills, led by rookie
Garnette Webb with a team-high 11 kills. Rookie teammates
Lucia Bennett and
Zoe Sercu added 10 kills apiece, while
Mikayla Haskell and
Kaiya Banks helped lead Queens' efforts at the net and from the service line. Despite a back-and-forth battle that saw the Knights rally to claim the third set, Queens fell to the Spartans in four sets.
Queens moves to 1-2 in ECC play.
Match Recap
Queens opened the first set strong, jumping out to a 7-2 lead before STAC rallied to even the score at 9-9. Back-to-back kills from Webb sparked a 6-0 run as the Knights built a 15-9 advantage.
The Spartans responded with a 5-2 run to pull within three, 17-14, before consecutive STAC errors and a kill from Haskell extended Queens' lead to 20-14.
However, unforced errors proved costly down the stretch as the Spartans mounted a comeback, using a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the set at 23-22. The two sides traded points before the visitors closed out the opening frame, 28-26, to take a 1-0 match lead.
The Knights carried their early momentum into the second set, establishing a 7-3 advantage. STAC answered with a 7-2 run to take a 10-9 lead, but a kill from Bennett sparked a 4-0 Queens run as the Knights regained a 13-10 advantage.
As the Spartans fought back to even the score on several occasions, a kill from Sercu gave Queens a narrow 17-16 lead. However, the visitors seized control late in the set, capitalizing on five Queens errors during a decisive 9-2 run to secure a 25-19 victory and take a 2-0 match lead.
Both teams traded points early in the third set before the Spartans turned a narrow 8-7 lead into a 15-8 advantage. Queens responded as back-to-back kills from junior
Olivia Hyman and Sercu sparked a 4-0 run, cutting the deficit to 15-12. STAC answered with three consecutive points to extend its lead to 18-12.
A kill from Sercu followed by back-to-back service aces from Haskell ignited a 6-0 run, allowing the Knights to battle back and tie the set at 18-18.
The two sides continued to exchange points down the stretch. With STAC holding a 23-21 lead, a Spartan service error followed by consecutive kills from Haskell and Hyman gave Queens set point. The visitors fought off the first opportunity to even the score at 24-24, but Banks delivered a clutch kill before closing out the set with a service ace. The Knights claimed a 26-24 victory to cut their match deficit to 2-1.
Queens looked to carry that momentum into the fourth set, but the Spartans built an early advantage and capitalized on nine Knights errors to pull away. STAC closed out the set with a 25-15 victory, securing the four-set win Saturday afternoon.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Webb led the Knights with a team-high 11 kills and added four total blocks..
- Bennett notched 10 kills in the match.
- Sercu finished with 10 kills, four digs, and one block.
- Haskell tallied nine kills, a career-best four service aces, and two blocks.
- Banks dished out a career-high 41 assists while adding six digs, four kills, and two service aces.
- Hyman contributed seven digs, three service aces and four kills.
- Junior Asuka Shibue led the defensive effort with a team-hihg 13 digs and added five assists.
NEXT SERVE
The Knights conclude the weekend Sunday, Oct. 11, when they travel to Rockville Centre to face the Molloy University Lions in ECC action. First serve is scheduled 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).
