HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team dropped a home Northeast Conference match to LIU 25-20, 25-16, 25-17 at the Rothman Center on Saturday night.
The Knights' attack was held in check by the Sharks (4-11, 3-0 NEC) who earned the win and remain unbeaten in conference play. For the second-straight outing, sophomore
Sophia Spiridonakos led the offense with six kills, while adding three blocks and a service ace in the loss.
Sophomore
Brooke Stevens accounted for four of the team's six total blocks on the night and freshman
Mujay Mambu contributed five kills.
For the Sharks, Karolina Nova logged a match-high 12 kills, while Miranda Strongman totaled eight kills without committing an error. Although the Knights finished with twice as many blocks as the Sharks, they were outhit 45-23 in kills and lost the service-ace battle 9-3.
A kill by Stevens and an ace by
Jessica Throckmorton propelled the Knights to a 4-1 edge in the opening set. The teams exchanged leads from that point before the Burgundy and Blue tied the match at 13 thanks to kills by Mambu and Spiridonakos.
The Sharks responded with three straight points and never trailed again as they pulled away with the five-point, first-set win. Stevens totaled a pair of blocks and a kill on one attack in the opener.
In the second, the Knights trailed 12-11 before a pair of aces by Anastasia Scott aided eight-straight tallies for the Sharks, who established their nine-point lead. The Burgundy and Blue were unable to chip away and ultimately dropped the frame by that margin.
The Knights hung tight in the third and cut a five-point deficit down to two, 15-13, after an ace by Throckmorton however, the Sharks would not relinquish their lead. A kill by Strongman kickstarted a 5-1 burst, which provided the Sharks with six-point cushion as they solidified the straight-set win.
The Burgundy and Blue hit the road for their next two matches as they travel to Saint Francis U and Robert Morris next weekend. First up is a date with Robert Morris on Friday, October 11. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Moon Township, Pa.
