Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson women's volleyball team took the Bryant Bulldogs to the fifth set before falling by a 3-2 margin in the Knights' season finale on Sunday in Hackensack, NJ.

The Knights finish the season with a 17-13 (7-9 NEC) mark, as Bryant improved to 14-18 (8-8 NEC) and take fifth place in the NEC, one spot ahead of FDU.

Senior Sarah Willey (Abingdon, MD/Bel Air), playing her final match for the Knights, recorded a season-high 52 assists to go along with 10 digs.

Junior Meaghan Wheeler (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep) also had a day to remember as she finished with 21 kills and 12 digs. She entered the day just six kills behind Lauren Boothby for FDU's single-season kills record.  Wheeler wasted little time reaching the mark, picking up seven in the first set and finishing with 528 kills on the season.  

In the first set, the Knights had to play catch-up after digging themselves an early 3-0 hole. FDU evened the score at 6-6, before Bryant claimed eight of the next 11 points for a 14-9 advantage. From there, the Bulldogs maintained their lead for a 25-23 first-set win.

FDU was able to cruise to a 25-15 win in the second behind a .429 hitting percentage with 14 kills to just two errors. The Knights were also stout on defense, holding Bryant to a .129 hitting percentage.

In the third, the Knights were able to keep the score tight throughout. They had an early 3-2 lead in the set, but the advantage quickly evaporated as the Bulldogs led by as many as five at 23-18. FDU made it interesting down the stretch on back-to-back kills from Meghan Alger (Cheltenham, MD/Bishop McNamara) and Taylor Roland-Buohl (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) to cut the deficit to 24-22, but Bryant responded with a kill from Kaitlyn Klein for the 25-22 win.

FDU kept the match alive with a 25-19 win the fourth. Trailing 14-13, the Knights went on a 6-0 run for a 19-14 lead. Down the stretch, the Knights benefited from service and attack errors by the visitors to tie the match at two sets apiece.

The Bulldogs were able to close out the match, leading from start to finish in the fifth set for a 15-11 victory. Bryant saved its best offense set for last with a .381 hitting percentage thanks to 11 kills.

In the match, Bryant was led by its two seniors, Maria Scocca and Jazmin Stoner, who accounted for 16 and 12 kills, respectively. The Bulldogs' Judith Lorenzo finished with a double-double with 37 assists and 16 digs.

For the Knights, senior Kelsey Semler (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) had a match-best 25 digs, while Alger had six kills, a solo block and four block assists.

On offense, freshman Chelsea Braga (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach ) compiled 13 kills and senior Sarah Berkland (Newton, MA/Newton North) finished with 11 on the day.

Before the match, Head Coach Stacey Recanati honored her four seniors, Alger, Berkland, Semler and Willey, with a senior day celebration.

The Knights will return eight of their 12 players next season.