ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.- The FDU Knights opened up their 2024 campaign with two matches on the first day of the "JBJ Battle 4 the Boardwalk" in Atlantic City. After dropping their first match in five sets to Belmont Abbey,
Karl France's squad bounced back and took down Barton in a four-set victory.
Belmont Abbey 3 FDU 2
The first match of the season saw the Knights struggle from behind the service line. They committed 23 service errors and produced just four aces. These mistakes kept FDU from producing any sustained momentum in the opening stages of the match.
Belmont Abbey came out strong and stormed through a first set which they won 25-13. In set number two, FDU grabbed a 24-22 lead but a resilient Crusaders squad fought off two set points and eventually secured a 25-24 advantage. They outlasted the Knights and won the set 30-28.
The Knights fought back and won a tight third set 25-23. The fourth frame was more of the same for FDU as they jumped out to a 10-6 lead. The Crusaders cut the lead to two but never any closer, as the Knights took the set and forced a fifth with a 25-19 win.
The Crusaders settled things down and earned a 9-5 advantage in the decisive set. As was the story of the match though, the Knights won four of the next five points and cut the deficit to one. However, they never were able to completely erase the deficit and Belmont Abbey closed it out 15-12.
Jamal Ellis Carballo picked up right where he left off in 2023 and smashed 16 kills in his sophomore debut.
Jack Lydon followed suit with 15 kills of his own, as well as leading the team with 12 digs. As a team FDU hit .215, while the Crusaders hit .297.
Rayjan Suarez Palacios made a nice contribution of eight kills in his collegiate debut.
FDU 3 Barton 1
Ellis Carballo, again, powered the FDU offense in their second match of the day as he led the team with 16 kills. Providing another source of production was
Mihajlo Rodic. He posted career-highs in kills (10) and aces (3).
The Knights dropped the first set 25-18 and fell behind 5-1 in the second frame. From there though, FDU closed out the set on a 24-16 run and evened the match with a 25-21 second set win. Barton was able to shake that off and grab an early five-point lead in the third but FDU quickly erased the deficit and went onto win the set 25-22. They'd eventually win the fourth set by the same score en route to closing out the match.
The FDU defense produced ten blocks and held Barton to a .202 hitting percentage. In his season debut,
Grady Hoffman anchored the defense with eight digs. As a team, the Knights produced 40 kills.
What's Next
FDU will close out their time at the "JBJ Battle 4 the Boardwalk" with a match against St. Thomas Aquinas at 2:30 p.m. Fans can stream the match on NEC Front Row as the Knights look to move in the green for the first time in 2024.
