Box Score

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's volleyball team fell just short to Saint Francis University, 3-2, in a Northeast Conference at Stratis Arena on Sunday. With the victory, SFU improves to 1-14 (1-1 NEC) on the season, while FDU falls to 1-14 (0-2 NEC) overall.

The Red Flash won the first set, 25-20, before the Knights rallied to win the second set, 25-18. In the third set SFU came away victorious, 25-18, but FDU rallied to tie the match with a 25-22 victory in set four. But in the fifth and deciding set, the Red Flash was able to pull away for a 15-10 triumph to clinch the match.

In the opening set SFU led wire-to-wire after taking an early 3-0 lead. The Knights cut the lead to 6-5, but the visitors were able to extend their lead out to four on four different occasions, with the last time at 16-12, before FDU came back to within two at 16-14.

The Red Flash rebounded to extend their lead back to four (four more times), as the closest the Knights would get was a 21-18 deficit before SFU won the set.

Early on in the second set, with the score knotted at 4-4, a kill by graduate student Violeta Slabakova (Shelby Township, Mich./Utica) started a string of five-straight points for FDU to give the home team a 9-4 advantage. The run eventually was 15-7 in favor of the Knights, as they took their largest lead at 19-11.

SFU came back to cut the deficit to 22-18, but kills from freshman Alyssa Mcivor and Slabakova and a service ace from sophomore Allison Butler (Plano, Texas/Plano) gave FDU the victory in set two.

With the score tied 5-5 in the third set, the Red Flash scored three straight points and never relinquished the lead, as they were never threatened by the Knights in their third-set victory.

The fourth set saw SFU breakaway from a 3-3 tie to eventually take a 16-10 advantage. But a kill from Slabakova ignited a 7-1 spurt four FDU, which allowed them to tie the set, 17-17.

After four more ties, with the last being at 21-21, the Knights found themselves down by one at 22-21. However, Mcivor's kill tied the match back up, and an attack error gave FDU the lead for good, as it scored the final four points to decide a fifth and final set.

The visitors scored five straight points in the final set after going down 1-0, but the Knights fought back to tie the set, 7-7. But the Red Flash regrouped and ended the set on an 8-3 run to take the final set, 15-10, and the match.

Slabakova paced FDU with a double-double, as she led the way with a match-high 20 kills and 15 digs while tying for match-high honors in block-assists with four. Mcivor added 13 kills, while Butler dished out a match-best 47 assists.

Defensively, junior Deborah Hong (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) came away with a team-best 22 digs, with Butler chipping in 12 for a double-double. Freshman Caroline Laton (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) added four block-assists.

The Knights will return to action Oct. 5 when it travels to New Britain, Conn. to face Central Connecticut State in an NEC contest.