HACKENSACK, N.J.- FDU (10-16, 7-3 NEC) defeated Chicago St. (1-21, 1-9 NEC) 3-0 on Saturday, winning 25-14, 25-15, 25-16. The Knights hit .302 with 43 kills while holding Chicago St. to 21 kills and a .000 hitting percentage.
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The Knights had to work out of an early hole in the first set after Chicago St. moved ahead 5-2. FDU answered with back-to-back service aces from Mila Samardzija, then took advantage of Chicago St. errors to move in front 7-6.Â
From there, the Knights continued to build separation as Alessia Zampieri and Ava Deguzman supplied kills, helping FDU turn the early deficit into control of the set. The Knights maintained that momentum the rest of the way and closed the opener at 25-14.Â
In the second set, the Knights were in front 13-7 before putting together the decisive stretch of the frame. FDU ran off seven straight points to extend the lead to 20-7, with Ava Deguzman serving for six consecutive points during the run. The push included kills from Samardzija, Nina Jasiecka and Nora Marginean, along with two blocks involving Jasiecka and Zampieri.Â
Chicago St. trimmed the margin to 20-11, but the Knights kept control late and finished the set 25-15 on Ashlyn Gualtieri's kill.
The Knights again created separation in the third set, using a four-point service stretch from Marginean to move from a 7-5 lead to an 11-5 advantage. FDU stayed in front from there and carried a 21-16 edge into the closing points.Â
Kayla Green's serve then helped the Knights score the final four points of the match, turning that five-point lead into a 25-16 set win. The finish included a Kaylie Jensen block and a Marginean kill from Green, with Chicago St. errors accounting for the other points.
FDU has their final regular season home games of the year this weekend. The Knights play New Haven on Nov. 6, at 6 p.m. on NEC Front Row, as well as on Saturday night at 5 p.m.
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