FAIRFAX, VA – FDU women's volleyball had an excellent start to their weekend at the George Mason Invitational, beginning day one with two wins against Garder-Webb and George Mason.
FDU found their momentum early in set one against Garder-Webb, despite falling behind 1-4 to begin the match. Two blocks by junior
Kylie Nott propelled the Knights into a 7-1 run that established a dominate lead the Knights never gave up. An aggressive offense coupled with a handful of unforced errors by Gardner-Webb allowed the Burgundy and Blue to cruise to a 25-20 set one victory.
Although sets two and three saw a more efficient hitting Bulldogs squad, a scrappy Knights defense and dominate offense led to two more set victories to give FDU their third sweep of the early season. Overall, the Burgundy and Blue hit .330 on the match, tallying 44 kills and just eight errors. Graduate Student
Eleonora Tosi led the Knights with 14 kills and no errors for a very impressive clip of .483. Nott led the team defensively, picking up six blocks to go with her nine kills.
In the second match of the day, FDU was slower to find their footing against an impressive George Mason squad. Despite a reasonable hitting percentage of .214, the Knights lost set one 25-23, as they were plagued by unforced errors. Giving up seven points from missed serves and bad sets, the Burgundy and Blue couldn't find the rhythm to make up for the lost points
Set two saw back and forth action as FDU and the Patriots traded points, neither team giving up a lead of more than three. Sophomore
Avery Bain and junior
MacKenzy Ruggiero pushed the Knights to victory as each tallied four kills on the set. With a stronger defense and less errors, the Burgundy and Blue pushed to a 25-21 set victory to even the match score.
George Mason's front row found their footing again in the third set hitting an impressive .314. A struggling Knights offense couldn't find the answer to the hot hitting Patriots, as FDU locked in only nine kills to go along with four errors for a hitting clip of .156. Coupled with eight unforced errors by the Burgundy and Blue, George Mason won the third 25-18 and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Knights were able to find a better rhythm in set four, remaining consistent as the Patriots committed numerous errors. Four service blunders and three hitting mistakes allowed FDU to capitalize and win the set 25-21.
The Knights rode the momentum through set five, tallying eight kills and no errors to win the set and match 15-11.
FDU was led by Nott and Bain, who totaled 12 kills and only three errors apiece for hitting percentages of .321. Defensively, senior
Emily Van O'Linda led the team with 26 digs and one ace.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Knights will return to action tomorrow (09/21) for the final day of the George Mason Invitational. Facing Morgan State at 1 pm, the Burgundy and Blue will look to close out the weekend undefeated.
