SOUTH ORANGE, N.J.- FDU (1-2) dropped their second game of the weekend versus Illinois State (2-1). The loss comes on the heels of a positive first day of the season, which was highlighted by Amable Martinez's first win as head coach of the Knights. The most recent contest for the Knights marks the conclusion of the Seton Hall Classic: a three day tournament held at Walsh Gymnasium. The weekend saw strong performances from newcomers such as
Mila Samardzija and
Kiah Lopez, alongside returners such as
Alessia Zampieri and
Angela Marchetto. Zampieri was named to the all-tournament squad after tallying 12 kills and 4 solo blocks.
Nina Jasiecka put the Knights on the board first, helping them close an early gap to tie the contest at 2-2.
Isabella Scarfone helped the Knights stay in striking distance early, after dealing back-to-back aces to bring the Knights within one, 7-6. However, five of the next six points belonged to the Redbirds, who extended their lead to 12-7.
Late in the opening set, Samardzija connected on two kills to make the score 18-16 in favor of the Redbirds. Illinois State continued to pull away, taking the first set 25-18.
The Redbirds flew out to an 8-3 lead in the second set.
Ashlyn Gualtieri logged her first kill of her career as the Knights attempted to chip away at the deficit. FDU could not find rhythm to close the gap, as the Redbirds pulled away 25-14.
The squads exchanged kills to open the scoring, with Zampieri recording a block to start the FDU scoring, followed by a pair of kills from Lopez. The first extensive lead was taken by the Redbirds following a four point run to make the score 8-4.
Kills from Jasiecka, Lopez, and Samardzija helped the Knights close the gap, trailing by one: 9-8. From there, Illinois State extended their lead into the final points of the third set. Trailing 23-17, the Knights mounted a late rally which featured a pair of kills from Lopez and a block from Marchetto. Illinios State was able to find two more points and end the third set 25-21.
The Knights travel to Fordham on Sep. 1, at 6 p.m. Coverage of the game will be on ESPN+
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