LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Led by the senior trio of Victoria Demmene, Magdalena Maksimovic and Allison Koester, the Fairleigh Dickinson women's volleyball team opened its 2020-21 campaign with a five-set win at Georgian Court on Friday night.
 
FDU 3, Georgian Court 2 (25-18, 18-25, 24-26, 25-23, 17-15)
Records: FDU (1-0) GCU (0-2)
Location: GCU Wellness Center (Lakewood, N.J.)
 
Demmene registered a career-high 19 kills in the win, while Maksimovic recorded a 17-kill, 12-dig double-double and Koester handed out 36 assists to go along with 15 digs in the come-from-behind win.
 
Kevin Rodgers had to wait a full year to coach his first match with the Knights but he made the most of it, earning his first win as an NCAA Division I head coach.
 
Coach Rodgers' Thoughts
"I couldn't be any happier with the progress we made as the match went on. We learned from our mistakes and made changes that allowed us to earn more points and play better defense to save points."
 
How It Happened
Set One – FDU 25, GCU 18
The Knights established an 18-13 lead in the opening frame as Victoria Demmene and Mujay Mambu registered three kills apiece over that span. With the lead in hand, the Burgundy and Blue closed out the set and took the 1-0 match lead.
 
In their first set of the season, the Knights hit .278 led by four kills apiece from Demmene and Maksimovic. On the defensive end, Jaelyn Young registered seven digs in the set.
 
Set Two – GCU 25, FDU 18
The Lions jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second frame. A kill by Aubrey Brinkley extended the home team's lead to six, 9-3, before Demmene stopped the run with a kill. A kill by Demmene pulled the Knights to within one, 16-15, but the host Lions responded with back-to-back points and pulled away for a 25-18 win of their own.
 
Set Three – GCU 26, FDU 24
A Maksimovic kill gave the Knights a 12-8 lead before the Lions stormed back with four straight points. Late in the set, the Knights fought off five-straight set points before tying the match at 25 with an emphatic double block from Cloe Abadie Calderon and Mambu. Unfortunately for the Knights, the Lions responded with consecutive kills by Kayla Wilson and Brinkley to earn the win.
 
Set Four – FDU 25, GCU 23
Trailing 23-22, the Knights rallied with the final three points to take the fourth-set win. After an ace by Georgian Court's Faith Bennett, Abadie Calderon tied the set with a kill. The Knights forced the fifth set by notching the final two points on a kill by Maksimovic and an attack error by the Lions.
 
Set Five – FDU 17, GCU 15
The final frame did not lack for excitement as the teams traded points in the early going, en route to a 6-6 tie. Maksimovic led the charge with three kills as the Burgundy and Blue pulled away and established a 10-7 edge. The Lions roared back with four straight points to take the lead before a service error tied the set at 11. After back-to-back points by the Lions, Abadie Calderon and Mambu teamed up for another double block and tied the set again at 13. Tied at 15, Maksimovic provided the Knights with their first match point of the night and Demmene finished things off with her match-leading 19^th kill of the night.
 
Stats/Notes

• Demmene's 19 kills are the most by a Knight since classmate Maksimovic reached that total back on October 27, 2017.
• The sophomore Abadie Calderon totaled nine block assists in the contest as the Knights' registered 11 as a team.
• Young totaled 22 digs to lead the Knights' backline.
• The Lions totaled 64 kills compared to the Knights' 48.
• Kinsy Haschke paced the Lions with 17 kills.
• With the win, the Knights are off to their first 1-0 start since 2015.

Next Up
The Knights visit in-state foe Seton Hall this Tuesday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m.