HACKENSACK, N.J. – FDU (9-11, 2-5) moved one step closer to securing their spot in the NEC tournament with a four-set win over D'Youville (6-14, 0-5) on Friday night. FDU took the first set and clinched the victory with wins in sets three and four.
Tonight's victory creates a win-and-in situation for the Knights tomorrow. If they claim victory over D'Youville they will clinch their spot in the NEC tournament.
The Knights were led by the tandem of
Dylan McFadden and
Jamal Ellis Carballo, who combined for 34 kills. McFadden contributed 20 himself.
It was a quick-hitting first set for the Burgundy and Blue. FDU's front line hit .367 and smashed 15 kills. Thanks to six Knights blocks, this was five more kills than their opponent. FDU's first lead of larger than three came at 14-10. It was at this point that FDU produced a 7-2 run and essentially put the set away. They wound up taking the opening frame, 25-17.
Set two turned into a marathon inside the Bogota Savings Bank Center. D'Youville jumped out to a 10-7 lead, which FDU aptly erased. With the match tied at 20, the teams evenly split the next 28 points. Both teams fought off five set points each, before the Saints finally won the set 36-34. FDU hit .200 in the set with 22 kills but committed seven service errors.
The Knights turned things back around in the third set. The team raised their hitting percentage back to .343 and simply overpowered D'Youville. The Saints did make things interesting, holding leads of 13-12 and 15-13, but ultimately FDU did what they needed to win the set. FDU went on a 4-0 run to give themselves a 20-16 advantage and did not look back. They won the set, 25-22.
The fourth set consisted of many long rallies. FDU held D'Youville to a negative hitting percentage. The Saints did hold a lead of 13-11, but the Knights took over in the middle portion of the set. They used a 7-1 run to seize momentum. FDU went on to win the set and clinch, 25-19.
WHAT'S NEXT
FDU will take on D'Youville again tomorrow at home. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and will air live on NEC Front Row.
