PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Having gone 0-2 on day one of the Chick-Fil-A Robinson Classic, the FDU Knights (1-4) were looking to head home with a win. They would face the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (2-3), who split on day one taking a loss from Duquesne and a win over Robert Morris.
The FDU Knights would come out victorious in steel city over the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds, 27-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19.
"It was definitely a team win," said Senior Captain Kylie Nott. "We all trusted each other and laid it all out on the court."
The Knights pair of Kylie Nott and Giorgia Vaschetti would become a problem for the Greyhounds, combining for 29 kills and 10 blocks. Adding to their dominance at the net, Ava Deguzman had a strong match with 11 kills and 15 digs, her first career double-double as an FDU Knight.
"We supported each other in every part of the game, and the energy from on and off the court, helped us keep a high level performance" said Senior Captain Giorgia Vaschetti. "I am proud of us!"
Today's four-set victory in Steel city marks the Knights second win of the 2025 season.
Set 1:
All or Nott-ing, Kylie Nott would play a pivotal role in the Knights first set victory, hitting .833 with 5 kills and 1 block. Nott got the Knights going early with a big rip and block in the middle, 5-3. The wall of Angela Marchetto and Giorgia Vaschetti would prove to be a problem for the Greyhounds, 13-11. However, a few errors would put Loyola Maryland ahead at the media timeout, 14-15. An attack error and service ace would force the Knights to call a timeout, 22-23. FDU would steady out to cause the Greyhounds to call a timeout, 24-23. But Loyola Maryland's Sekunda would have back-to-back kills, FDU called their second time out at 24-25. Coming out of the timeout, Nott would trade her own back-to-back kills to put the Knights up, 26-25, and timeout by the Greyhounds. An attack error by Loyola Maryland would give FDU set one, 27-25.
Set 2:
The Greyhounds would come out firing behind the service line, opening their first lead, 5-8. Two attack errors by the Knights would extend Loyola Maryland's lead, 8-12. However, Vaschetti would rally a kill and block along with Nott to close in, 10-12. An ace by the Greyhounds would push their lead, 12-17. Vaschetti would turn up the heat, powering through with three kills, hitting .556, to force a Greyhound timeout, 20-22. An attack error by the Knights would give set two to the Greyhounds, 21-25.
Set 3:
Nott and Vaschetti would get the Knights going in set three. The pair would start the set trading blocks and kills, 4-4. Continuing to fire on all cylinders, Nott and Vaschetti would dominate at the net, extending FDU's lead, 13-8. Ava Deguzman and Alessia Zampieri would join in on the action with back-to-back kills to force a Loyola Maryland timeout, 14-19. The Greyhounds would not back down, finding several unanswered points to make FDU use their final timeout, 24-21. Vaschetti with one final kill would close out the set, 25-21. Nott & Vaschetti scored a total of 12 points between the two.
Set 4:
Who else to keep the momentum going, but the FDU duo of Nott & Vaschetti who begin set four with a big block and major swings, 6-3. Deguzman would start to get fired up, adding two kills for the Knights, 13-9. Loyola Maryland would not find a response, calling a timeout after an ace by FDU's Kayla Green, 19-13. The Greyhounds would start to gather a few points of their own, closing in on the Knights and forcing a timeout, 20-18. Back-to-back kills by FDU's MacKenzy Ruggiero and Vaschetti forced a Loyola Maryland timeout, 23-19. An attack error by the Greyhounds gives FDU their second win of the season, 25-19.
The Stats:
The Knights conclude the Chick-Fil-A Robinson Classic with a 1-2 record on the weekend.
Ava Deguzman was named to the All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the final match.
The FDU Knights will head to New York City to compete in the Rose Hill Classic next weekend against Fordham, Temple, and Hofstra.
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