Cricchi, McCool Lead Volleyball to 3-0 Win Over Queens
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 2, 2013) - Senior middle hitter Susy Cricchi (Borgovelino, Rieti, Italy) and freshman outside hitter Shelby McCool (Eugene, Ore.) led the LIU Post volleyball team Saturday to its third-straight 3-0 sweep of an ECC opponent, this time getting the best of Queens, 25-16, 25-22 and 26-24.
The Pioneers improved to 21-6 overall and 10-3 in conference play with the win.
After being tied at 1-all early in the first set, the Pioneers took over and never fell behind. Cricchi led the way with six kills, and hit at a .750 clip. Sophomore middle hitter Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added four kills, while McCool chipped in three. Sophomore libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) closed out the set with the Pioneers' only ace of the stanza.
In the second set, the Knights and Pioneers exchanged points, and were tied late at 22-apiece. Junior Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy) set up McCool for the kill, and the Pioneers never looked back, rattling off two more points to take it, 25-22. McCool finished the set with four kills, while Cricchi added three of her own. The Pioneers held the Knights to a .059 attack percentage in the second set.
The third set saw more of the same back-and-forth action between LIU Post and Queens. The Pioneers were down, 20-17, before scoring five straight points to go on top, 22-20. The five-point run was capped by a kill from Analise Austin (Honolulu, Hawaii), off an assist from Centro. The Knights wouldn't go away quietly, battling back to tie it at 24-24. The Pioneers closed out the match on a kill by Cricchi, followed by an attack error on Queens' Arielle DiCocco.
Cricchi led the Pioneers with 14 kills on the afternoon, and finished with a .583 hitting clip. McCool added 11 kills, and racked up a match-high 15.5 points.
The Knights were led by DiCocco and her 11 kills. She racked up a team-best 13 points for Queens (10-10, 4-8 ECC).
The Pioneers are back in action on Tuesday (Nov. 5), when they host Dowling at the Pratt Recreation Center. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start.