PHILADELPHIA – The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's volleyball team fell to 0-4 on the season with losses to Lafayette and Sacramento State during the second day of play at the La Salle Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 1.  The Knights fell to both teams in three sets.

The Knights took on Lafayette in the morning matchup.  The teams traded points to open the first set before the Leopards constructed a four-point rally to take the lead.  Lafayette ended the set with a six-point rally to secure the win, 25-14.

FDU took a brief lead in set two on a set of points by Violeta Slabakova (Shelby Township, Mich./Utica) and Caroline Laton (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon).  After a series of four-point streaks, Lafayette earned the win in set two, 25-14.

Set three saw the teams battle for the lead, with each team taking a brief lead through the midpoint of the match.  While trailing 17-14, the Leopards scored five-consecutive points to take an 18-17 lead.  The Knights fought Lafayette to come within two points on the Leopards' match point and went on to challenge the Leopards into extra points.  The teams faced off through 30 points until the Leopards took a 31-29 advantage and a win in set three and the match victory.

Laton led the Knights in the bout with Lafayette with seven kills.  Slabakova and rookie Courtney Kovensky (Highland, Calif./Citrus Valley) added six kills each, while Maddie Gibbons (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview Heights) had five.  Allison Butler (Plano, Texas/Plano) facilitated the offense with 21 assists on the match.  Corey Lostetter (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) and Deborah Hong (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) paced the defense with 12 and 10 digs, respectively.

The Knights took on Sacramento State in the final match of the weekend.  The Hornets took a 14-6 lead on several rallies and never lost hold of the momentum.  Sacramento State took set one, 25-15 to go ahead.

The Hornets held onto the momentum in set two and went ahead 13-7.  The Knights rallied for four points to cut the deficit but could not stop the Hornets' attack.  Sacramento State went on to win set two, 25-16.

The Knights challenged the Hornets more in set three but could not stop the attack.  The Hornets took the match with a 25-20 win in set three.

Slabakova led the Knights again with eight kills in the match.  Butler added 22 assists, while Lostetter was strong defensively with 20 digs.

The Knights will host Rider University on Wednesday, Sept. 1 in their home opener.  The match is slated for 7 p.m. at Stratis Arena.