BRIDGEPORT, CT. – Concluding non-conference play, the Queens College women's volleyball team faced the University of Bridgeport Purple Knights Thursday evening at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium.
The young Knights squad put together a competitive effort against the Purple Knights, led by rookie
Zoe Sercu, who recorded a team-best nine kills. Rookie teammates
Lucia Bennett and
Garnette Webb added seven kills apiece, combining for 14 kills. However, Queens fell in three sets, leaving the Knights to await another opportunity to secure a victory at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium.
Match Recap
The Purple Knights opened the first set with an early 12-6 lead before a kill from Sercu sparked a 4-0 run by the Knights, cutting the deficit to two points at 12-10. Rookie
Kaiya Banks highlighted the run with a service ace.
Bridgeport responded with a 3-0 run to extend its lead to five points and maintained the advantage for the remainder of the set, securing a 25-18 first-set victory to take a 1-0 match lead.
Queens opened the second set with an early 8-5 advantage, fueled by a series of kills. However, Bridgeport rallied to even the score at 9-9, prompting a Queens timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, the Knights responded with a 7-3 scoring run to build a 16-12 lead, their largest advantage of the set, and force a Bridgeport timeout.
A kill from Bennett and a service ace from junior
Asuka Shibue extended the Queens lead to 19-13. Bridgeport answered with a run of its own, trimming the deficit to two points at 20-18. Sercu halted the run with a kill to give the Knights a 21-18 advantage.
Bridgeport continued to battle back, eventually tying the set at 23-23. Another kill from Sercu put Queens at set point, but the Purple Knights rallied to earn a 27-25 second-set victory, taking a 2-0 match lead.
Bridgeport opened the third set with a 2-0 lead before Queens responded with a kill from Bennett and a Bridgeport attack error to even the score at 2-2.
After the teams traded points, Queens put together a 6-2 run to take a 9-5 advantage. Bridgeport fought back to cut the deficit to one point at 10-9 before a kill from Bennett and a Purple Knights attacking error helped the Knights extend their lead to 12-9.
The Purple Knights answered with a 5-0 run to take a 14-12 lead, forcing a Queens timeout. Following the break, the Knights continued to battle, staying within striking distance before Bridgeport extended its advantage to 18-14.
A kill from Sercu halted the Purple Knights' run and brought Queens within three points at 18-15. However, Bridgeport responded with another 3-0 run to extend its lead to 21-15.
The Knights continued to compete, but the deficit proved too much to overcome as Bridgeport closed out the third set with a 25-18 victory to complete the three-set sweep.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Sercu recorded a team-best nine kills and added five digs.
- Bennett finished with seven kills.
- Garnette recorded seven kills and one block.
- Banks recorded 28 assists, four digs and one service ace.
- Shibue recorded a team-best 17 digs and added three assists and one service ace.
NEXT SERVE
Queens returns to East Coast Conference action Saturday, Oct. 10, when the Knights welcome the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans 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).
