PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Heading to the hometown of two fellow Knights, Avery Bain and Madeline Joyce, FDU competed on day one of the Chick-Fil-A Robinson Classic in Pittsburgh. In today's match up, the Knights took on former NEC opponent Robert Morris (0-3) and A10 opponent Duquesne (4–0) at their respective campuses.
FDU (1-2), who competed in the dōTERRA Classic last weekend, sought to add a few more wins to their overall 2025 season record. However, the Colonials and Dukes would protect their home courts against the Knights.
The Colonials (1-3) Rally Past the Knights (1-3)
The match up between former NEC rivals, Robert Morris and FDU promised to be a showdown. After losing the first set 25-15, the Knights were able to make a strong comeback, taking sets two and three, 25-15 & 26-24. However, the Colonials would answer back, taking set four, 25-20 to force a fifth. Having swung the momentum of the match, the Colonial would ultimately finish the fifth set, 15-7.
Set 1:
Robert Morris jumped out to an early lead as the Knights had several attack errors, 8-2. The Colonials would continue to put on the pressure, forcing FDU to call their first time out of the match, 11-5. Throughout the set, unforced errors continued to plague the Knights who could not gather their footing. Robert Morris would take the set 25-12.
Set 2:
Bouncing back from set one, Ava Deguzman came out the gate swinging with two big kills to start set two, 2-0. Another two kills by Deguzman would put the Knights in their largest lead of the match, 6-0. Maddeline Joyce would come into the match with some service pressure, 10-4. A huge block on the outside by Avery Bain and Angela Marchetto extended the Knights lead, 20-12. Kylie Nott would close out set 2 for FDU with a sneaky tip, 25-15.
Set 3:
Starting the set, Alessia Zampieri gets the Knights on the board with two kills, 2-4. Angelo Marchetto with solo block ties the set, 8-8. The Pittsburgh duo of Joyce and Bain start to work the Colonials behind Joyce's serve and Bain's front row presence, opening up a 15-12 lead. Samantha Wittholz gets her pins going with back-to-back kills for the Knights, 19-15. A monster block by the Italian pair of Zampieri and Marchetto caused the Colonials to call the second timeout, 23-19. RMU would rally behind two major blocks that caused FDU to call their first timeout, 24-22. An attack error by the Colonial would end a 5-0 run. Behind the service line, Deguzman would finish the set with a powerful service ace, 26-24.
Set 4:
The Colonials would maintain the lead for the entire set. While the power of Giorgia Vaschetti would bring FDU within one, 7-8. RMU would not allow the Knights to tie the set. Two back-to-back kills by RMU's Tia Schultz would force FDU to call a timeout, 16-21. The Colonials would continue to put the pressure on, taking set 4, 25-20.
Set 5:
Robert Morris would carry their momentum into set five, opening up with a 5-0 lead to cause FDU to call a timeout, 5-0. Continuing their dominance, the Colonials would increase the lead to seven, 9-2. Attack errors would haunt the Knights, who ultimately fell to the Colonial, losing 7-15
The Stats:
The Dukes (4-0) Took Control of the Net Over the Knights (1-4)
A complete wall at the net, the Dukes' blocking became a key component in their win over the Knights. While the Knights would have a strong showing in set three, 25-22, Duquesne would control the majority of the match.
Set 1:
Duquesne sprinted off the starting line, gaining an early lead behind the block of Robinson, 5-1. After an FDU timeout, the Dukes continued to put pressure on at the net, extending their lead 4-13. Angela Marchetto tried to spark life into this Knights squad with a kill and a block, 12-21. However, Duquesne's block would continue to be a problem for the Knights, struggling to connect and falling 16-25.
Set 2:
Trading points early, the Dukes would turn up the service pressure to open an 8-4 lead. The Italian duo of Marchetto and Vaschetti brought the Knights within three, 13-16. However, Duquesne would amp up their blocking pressure, 14-20. A late service ace by Kylie Nott would rally a few points for the Knights at 19-24, but the Dukes would close out the set 19-25.
Set 3:
Being down two sets, Sirma Bayracki would get the Knights' momentum going behind the service line, 5-0. Back-to-back aces by the Dukes brought them back within one, 5-4. Entering the match for the Knights, MacKenzy Ruggiero would rack up two kills to put the Knights up 12-10. Kimber Lang, who entered during the third set, would go over on two, giving the Knights their largest lead, 20-16. The Dukes would string along a few late points, cutting the Knights lead to two, 23-21. A great rally is put down by Lang at the net to put a set on the board for the Knights, 25-22.
Set 4:
Vaschetti with a straight roof would give the Knights their only advantage of the set, 4-3. The Dukes would begin to fire on all cylinders, getting their largest lead of the match, 16-5. While FDU would attempt to close the gap with a few great plays, Duquesne would be the first to twenty, 20-10. Ultimately, the Dukes never looked back and closed out the match with a fourth set victory, 25-13.
The Stats:
The Knights finish day one of the Chick-Fil-A Robinson Classic with an 0-2 record. They will face Loyola Maryland (1-3) tomorrow September 6th at the UPMC Events Center.
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