Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson women's volleyball team secured its third-straight win with a 3-1 decision over NEC foe Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon at Stratis Arena in Hackensack, NJ. 

The Knights improve to 12-6 (2-2 NEC), as the Bobcats slip to 2-16 (1-4 NEC). 

In first set, FDU's frontline made the difference with 10 kills to just two errors. Early on, the Knights' defense set the pace with two huge blocks in the first five points. The home team was able to claim a 10-2 lead and kept pressing, pushing it to 14-5 on back-to-back kills from Meaghan Wheeler (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep) and Sarah Berkland (Newton, MA/Newton North). 

Later in the set, the Knights took a 13-point lead at 20-7. QU mounted a 4-0 run to cut the Knights' advantage to 20-11, but FDU's offense was too much down the stretch with kills from Wheeler, Berkland and Chelsea Braga (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach ) for a 25-13 win. 

In set two, the Bobcats seized early control with a 3-0 lead. The Knights quickly recovered and tied things up at four on a Wheeler kill. The score seesawed and again was tied up at 7-7. With the Bobcats clinging to a 13-10 advantage, FDU's frontline of Braga and Berkland had kills before a QU attack error, allowing the Knights to even the score at 13-13. 

Out of a Quinnipiac timeout with FDU in front, 15-13, the Knights went on an 8-1 run to pump their lead to 23-14. Meghan Alger (Cheltenham, MD/Bishop McNamara)'s kill made it 24-15, and two points later, the Knights claimed a 25-16 win and a 2-0 advantage. Alger recorded four kills, three block assists and a solo block on the day. 

The third set began in the Knights' favor with a Wheeler solo block to make it 2-0 and a booming kill from Lawryn Fowler (Gaithersburg, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel) to give the Knights' a 6-4 advantage. The set went south for the home team, however, with QU taking a 17-11 lead. The Knights chipped away at the Bobcats' lead, but Quinnipiac was able to claim a 25-17 win to cut the FDU lead to 2-1. The Bobcats' .257 hitting percentage was the team's first set with a positive percentage of the match.

The match remained tense with 17 ties in the fourth set and neither team able to break away. With the set still in the balance, the Knights secured the final two points on Berkland and Wheeler kills to come away with a 25-23 win in the set. 

Wheeler turned in a double-double with 18 kills and 18 digs, while Braga and Berkland also reached double figures for kills with 12 and 11, respectively. 

Sarah Willey (Abingdon, MD/Bel Air) was one dig shy of a double-double, finishing with nine to go along with 39 assists. On defense, Kelsey Semler (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) had a team-best 23 digs, followed by Taylor Roland-Buohl (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) and Deborah Hong (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) with 12 apiece. 

The Bobcats' Olivia Gratton led the offense with 10 kills, while Tracy Wright racked up a match-high 25 digs. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, the Knights return to Stratis Arena for a 7 p.m. NEC matchup with St. Francis NY.