Box Score ALBANY, N.Y. – FDU women's volleyball opened their weekend at the UAlbany Invitational earlier today with an afternoon matchup against Central Michigan. Despite a handful of comebacks by the Knights, an impressive Chippewa team remained in control the entire match, outscoring the Burgundy and Blue in almost every category.
 
Set one against Central Michigan proved to be a battle as the Knights fell to an early 9-19 deficit. Struggling on offense and defense, the Burgundy and Blue couldn't find their footing against the scrappy and smart hitting CMU team. However, two kills by junior Giorgia Vaschetti sparked momentum in the FDU squad as they went on a 9-1 run to stay alive. Despite the late push, two kills from Central Michigan's Krystina Kasson secured a victory as the Knights dropped set one 22-25.
 
In a similar story to the first set, the Knights started off down, quickly falling behind 5-11. Despite a better defensive performance out of FDU, offense remained a struggle as the Knights only gathered eight kills on 34 swings. With a hitting percentage of just .118, the Burgundy and Blue were unable to bounce back from the early lead by Central Michigan who took a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Proving they were not going down easily; the Knights came in hot for set three. Taking an early 16-4 lead, FDU's offense found a rhythm that the Chippewas couldn't defend. Led by junior MacKenzy Ruggiero, the Burgundy and Blue clocked in 15 kills and just one error for an impressive clip of .438. With a newfound confidence, the Knights took set three 25-14.
 
Set four saw a cooled down FDU team, as the Burgundy and Blue were riddled by unforced errors. With three missed serves and three attack errors, the Chippewas were able to cruise to a 25-16 set and match victory.
 
The Knights were led by sophomore Avery Bain, who tallied 11 kills and just three errors for a hitting percentage of .308. Van O'Linda clocked in 15 digs, while senior Hannah Schmidt garnered two aces on the match.  
 
The Knights continue their run in the UAlbany Invitational tomorrow (09/07) as they face UAlbany and Iona. Both matches will be streamed on America East TV, taking place at 2 pm and 6pm.