NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The FDU Knights earned their fourth conference victory on Friday night, taking down the Merrimack Warriors in four sets. The win improves the Knights' record to 10-12 and moves them to 4-5 in NEC play.
Despite an early and commanding lead, the Knights were plagued by serve receive errors a majority of the first set. The low Merrimack ceiling proved to be quite a challenge for the burgundy and blue who struggled to get good first touches. Despite the struggles, FDU put on an impressive offensive and blocking display, hitting .200 on the set, while keeping Merrimack to a .082. This defensive effort was highlighted by four team blocks. The Warriors were unable to respond and FDU won the first set 27-25.
Building off the momentum from set number one,
Karl France's Knights went back and forth with the Warriors for the first half of the set. Then in a flash, FDU exploded on a 6-1 run that created some much-needed separation. That lead proved useful as Merrimack returned with a quick comeback, challenging the Knights with their offensive efforts. Despite the close match, the burgundy and blue reigned supreme as they took set two 25-23.
In a similar story to set two, it was back and forth for most of the third set. However, the Knights struggled offensively, unable to get kills on the fired-up Merrimack team who tallied six blocks in the set. FDU was held to a .092 hitting clip, with only 13 kills and 10 errors. Merrimack rolled to a close 26-24 win to prevent the match sweep.
Set four saw a new Knights squad, as the burgundy and blue cleaned up their offense for an impressive .310 hitting percentage. Matched with a strong defense, the Knights rallied for a 25-20 set four and match win.
Offensively, the Knights were paced by
Jamal Ellis Carballo who had 21 kills, on a .256 hitting percentage. He was complemented by
Jose Angarita who dished out 39 assists.
Grady Hoffman had a strong night defensively with 10 digs, matched by Ellis Carballo who also picked up 10 on the night.
WHAT'S NEXT
FDU heads to Fairfield, Conn. to take on Sacred Heart for a chance to clinch the NEC playoffs for the first time in program history. First serve is set for 5 pm at Notre Dame Fairfield High School.
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