NORTH EASTON, MASS. – FDU women's volleyball closed out the regular season with a four-set win against Stonehill earlier today. The win secures the Knights a #2 seed going into the NEC Championships next weekend.
Stonehill came out strong in the opening set, using a balanced offense and sharp defense to take control early. Despite efforts from graduate student
Eleonora Tosi and junior
Maria Cisneros, Stonehill capitalized on their blocking and hitting efficiency to win the set, 25-17. FDU struggled to find rhythm, with 10 kills and seven errors for a hitting clip of .125.
The Knights bounced back in the second set with improved energy, pulling ahead to claim a 25-19 victory. Sophomore
Avery Bain found her stride early, logging six kills in the set alone. 15 kills, four blocks and one ace brought the match score even as the Burgundy and Blue began to find their footing.
The third set saw consistency out of the Knights, who had five players log two or more kills. Unforced errors riddled the Skyhawks, who struggled at the service line, committing five service blunders. With a strong offense and solid defensive efforts by senior libero
Emily Van O'Linda, the Burgundy and Blue took the set 25-20 to secure a 2-1 match lead.
With momentum on their side, FDU sealed the match in a 25-19 fourth set victory. Logging 17 kills and just three errors, offense was the name of the game for the Knights. Struggling to find an answer to the hot hitting FDU squad, Stonehill dropped the set and match to conclude their season.
As a team, the Knights logged 57 kills, five aces, nine blocks and 48 digs. Offensively, FDU was led by sophomore
Avery Bain, who tallied 16 kills and just five errors for a hitting percentage of .355. Defensively, senior
Hannah Schmidt led the charge, totaling 13 digs and 21 assists.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Knights will return to action on 11/22, as they open the NEC tournament against #3 seeded Saint Francis. Traveling to Chicago, Illinois, the Burgundy and Blue will look to return to the NEC Championship for the third time in three years.
