ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Continuing East Coast Conference (ECC) play, the Queens College women's volleyball team traveled to Rochester, N.Y., to take on the Roberts Wesleyan University Redhawks at the Voller Athletic Center.
In a match that went the distance, rookie
Zoe Sercu led the Knights with a career-high 18 kills, while rookie
Garnette Webb added 11 kills. Despite taking a 2-1 lead, Queens was unable to close out the match, falling in five sets as the Redhawks earned a split in the season series.
With the result, Queens moves to 1-5 in ECC play.
Match Recap
The Knights erased an early 4-1 deficit to tie the opening set at 5-5. However, Roberts Wesleyan responded with a 10-4 run to take a 15-9 lead and force a Queens timeout.
Queens battled to close the gap, pulling within four points, but the Redhawks held off the Knights' rally to claim the opening set, 25-19, and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, the teams traded points through the opening stages. With the score tied at 8-8, a kill from Sercu sparked a Queens run as the Knights built an 11-8 advantage and forced a Roberts Wesleyan timeout.
Queens continued to find openings at the net, with a kill from Webb extending the lead to 17-14. The Redhawks responded with a 6-1 run to take a 20-18 advantage, prompting a Knights timeout.
Out of the break, Queens regrouped and capitalized on a Roberts Wesleyan service error. Rookies Sercu and
Mikayla Haskell then teamed up for a block, followed by two additional kills, to help the Knights regain control with a 22-20 lead and force another Redhawks timeout.
Sercu's 10th kill of the match extended the advantage to 23-20. Following a Queens service error, a kill from rookie
Lucia Bennett brought the Knights to set point at 24-21. Junior
Olivia Hyman then delivered a kill to seal the 25-21 victory and even the match at one set apiece.
In the third set, the teams battled through another tightly contested start before Queens created separation with a 4-0 run to take a 16-12 lead. Two kills from Webb fueled the run and forced a Roberts Wesleyan timeout.
The Knights carried that momentum out of the break, closing the set on a 9-2 run. Sercu, Hyman and Webb combined for five kills during the stretch, while Bennett and Hyman contributed three service aces as Queens secured a 25-14 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Queens carried its momentum into the fourth set, opening with a 7-2 advantage behind the efforts of Bennett and Sercu to force an early Roberts Wesleyan timeout.
The Redhawks responded with an 8-1 run to take a 10-8 lead, prompting a Queens timeout. The Knights battled back to even the score at 13-13, with Sercu recording her 17th kill of the match to tie her previous career high.
With the set still in reach, the Redhawks used a 6-3 run to establish a 21-16 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Hyman and Bennett brought Queens within three points at 21-18, but Roberts Wesleyan held off the Knights' late push to claim the fourth set, 25-19, and force a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth set, Roberts Wesleyan jumped out to a 3-0 lead before extending its advantage to 7-2. Queens attempted to rally, but the Redhawks maintained control down the stretch to secure the five-set victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Sercu led the Knights' offense with a career-high 18 kills, 10 digs and three service aces, recording her fourth career double-double.
- Webb finished 11 kills, and one block.
- Bennett contributed nine kills and a career-high 15 digs.
- Hyman recorded a career-high 19 digs to go along with four kills and two service aces.
- Rookie Kaiya Banks dished out 39 assists and added eight digs and three kills.
- Junio Asuka Shibue tied Hyman for the team lead with 19 digs and contributed two service aces.
NEXT SERVE
Queens returns home for a weekend ECC series beginning Saturday, Oct. 24, when the Knights welcome D'Youville University Saints to Fitzgerald Gymnasium. 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).
