Volleyball Secures Second-Straight ECC Sweep With Win Over Mercy
Box Score
DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2013) - Eight members of the LIU Post volleyball team managed to record at least one kill, as the Pioneers swept their second-consecutive East Coast Conference foe Thursday evening in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. The set scores against Mercy were 25-14, 25-13, and 25-19.
The Pioneers secured their second-straight 20-win season with the victory (20-6), while improving to 9-3 in ECC play. Mercy dropped to 9-14 on the season, and 2-9 in conference action.
The Mavericks held a 7-5 advantage to start the first set, but LIU Post turned it up a notch and went on an astounding 18-3 run to bring the score to 23-11. Three straight Pioneer errors allowed Mercy to bring the score to 23-14, before senior middle blocker Susy Cricchi (Borgovelino, Rieti, Italy) slammed down a kill off a set from junior Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy), followed by a service ace to secure her squad's 25-14 first set win.
Once again, the home squad gained a very early advantage (2-0), before the Pioneers got started. The visitors strung together a run of 16-5 to take a 16-7 lead, before the two squads exchanged points back and forth. With the Pioneers holding a 10-point advantage (21-11), the green and gold scored four of the final six points to grab their second-straight win. Sophomores Katie Barto (East Rockaway, N.Y.) and Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) teamed up for the win, as Hansen tallied the final kill off a Barto helper.
The third set was much closer throughout the length of the game as neither side saw any long spurts of scoring. The Mavericks were within three points of LIU Post's lead as late as 18-15, but the Pioneers strung together three points to pad their lead. Freshman outside hitter Shelby McCool (Eugene, Ore.) registered a kill off a Barto assist, followed by a Maverick attack error to lock up the three-set sweep.
For the second-consecutive match, McCool was the only attacker on either side to reach the 10-kill mark. Centro totaled 21 assists on the night, and sophomore libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) scooped up a team-high 10 digs.
The Pioneers held the Mavericks to a mere .023 hitting clip, while swinging to a .233 attack percentage. LIU Post also held a large advantage in blocks, totaling seven to Mercy's two.
The Pioneers are back in action on Saturday (Nov. 2), when they host Queens in an ECC clash at the Pratt Recreation Center at noon.