WHEELING, W. Va. (Sept. 13, 2014) - On Saturday, the LIU Post volleyball team split with Lock Haven and No. 11 Wheeling Jesuit to cap off play at the WJU Invitational. The Pioneers will now return home at 4-4 on the year.

Match 1: LIU Post 3, Lock Haven 1 (25-19, 25-27, 27-25, 25-19)
Holding a slight 18-17 cushion in the opening set against Lock Haven (5-2), LIU Post scored four unanswered points to extend its advantage to 22-17. Senior middle blocker Heather Adams (Centerville, Ohio) slammed down a kill in the run, while sophomore middle hitter Analise Austin (Honolulu, Hawaii) and freshman middle blocker Heather Ball (Gilbert, Ariz.) combined for a block to close it out. The Pioneers went on to take the first game by a 25-20 count.

Though the Bald Eagles took the second set in extra points, the green and gold returned the favor in the third. Trailing 21-14, LIU Post rallied with a 10-3 streak to even the score at 24-apiece, forcing an LHU timeout. Junior setter/outside hitter Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) provided two kills and two assists in the comeback effort. Amador later added a block assist in the Pioneers' eventual 27-25 victory.

In the fourth set, the green and gold jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, and never looked back from there. Freshman middle blocker Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) registered two kills over that stretch. The rout was on from there, as LIU Post held as much as an 11-point edge (19-8) in the game. An attack error by Lock Haven's Cody Anderson (Johnsonburg, Pa.) clinched a third-straight win for the Pioneers.

Valenza notched her fourth double-double of the year, tallying 16 digs and 12 kills. Junior middle hitter Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) collected nine kills and two blocks. Amador racked up 12 assists, eight kills and three blocks. Adams and Ball posted seven kills apiece. Ball also rejected seven blocks. Senior setter Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy) dished out 29 assists. Junior libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) totaled 15 digs.

Match 2: LIU Post 0, Wheeling Jesuit 3 (15-25, 15-25, 11-25)
The latter contest saw a duel between two programs that reached the NCAA Division II National Championship last December in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Valenza accumulated seven kills and seven digs in the defeat. Austin sported nine digs and five kills. Adams had six digs, four kills and four blocks. Hansen blocked five attack attempts by the Cardinals. Ringor checked in 10 digs.

In each of the games, LIU Post kept it close early on, but Wheeling Jesuit (6-1) pulled away soon after. The Cardinals hit .300 in the first set, which was followed by a .278 attack percentage in the second and a .239 clip n the third.

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and the Pioneers return to action Tuesday (Sept. 16), when they open East Coast Conference play versus Northern Boulevard rival NYIT. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.