HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team dropped its home opener in straight sets to Morgan State 25-18, 25-21, 25-13 on Friday night at the Rothman Center. The match was the first for each team at this year's Knights Fall Classic presented by Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Paramus.
Junior outside hitter Magdalena Maksimovic paced the Knights (0-4) in the loss with eight kills, while freshman outside Mujay Mambu totaled five. The Knights were held to a .084 attack percentage by the Bears (4-1) who posted a .284 attack percentage en route to the win.
Zoe McBride spearheaded the Bears' attack with 17 kills on 33 total attacks. McBride registered a double-double by adding 14 digs to her ledger, while setter Roi Wallace amassed 39 assists in the three-set victory.
The Knights trailed 16-13 in the opening frame after sophomore Sophia Spiridonakos slammed down a set out of the middle from teammate McKenna Setterlund. Setterlund would finish with 14 assists on the night. From that point on, the Bears extended their lead to as many as seven points and netted a 1-0 match edge.
In the second frame, back-to-back kills by Mambu and junior Victoria Demmene helped the Knights establish a 15-12 advantage however, the Bears responded by scoring six of the next seven points to take control. McBride recorded three kills over that span to aid her team's effort.
The Knights pulled to within two, 22-20, after a kill by Maksimovic but the Bears would not relinquish their lead and earned the four-point win.
In the final frame, the Bears were in command from the outset. The visitors mounted an 8-2 lead and never looked back, eventually pushing the lead to double-digits as they finalized the sweep.
The Burgundy and Blue are back in action tomorrow with day two of the Knights Fall Classic. First up is a test against Quinnipiac at 12:30 p.m. before the Knights close out the two-day event against NJIT at 5:30 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on NECFrontRow.com
"The Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Paramus is the presenting sponsor of the 2019 Knights Fall Classic. Visit Marriott.com/ewrpx for your hotel stay when coming to Fairleigh Dickinson.
