Women's Volleyball Falls in GNAC Tri-Match at SJC Saturday

• USJ started the opening match against Rivier on fire, taking an early 4-0 lead after kills from senior Hannah Benson (Terryville, Conn.) and junior Victoria Isokpehi (Lagos, Nigeria). 

• However, Rivier would use a 4-0 stretch of their own to tie the match, before jumping out to a 9-6 edge. The Blue Jays would respond quickly though, using a 3-0 run, capped off by a kill from senior Sarah Haire (Vernon, Conn.) leveling the opening set at 9-9. 

• The Raiders wasted little time regaining the lead, using a 9-1 stretch to jump out to a 19-10 lead, forcing a USJ timeout. The Blue Jays would take the first point out of the timeout from a Rivier service error, but the Raiders would eventually pull within set point, 24-12. The Blue Jays mustered a late comeback attempt as kills from Benson and senior Shannon Carey (Bayport, N.Y.) pulled USJ back within six, 24-18, but the Raiders secured the final point, taking the opening set, 25-18. 

• Rivier would come out of the gates fast in the second set, jumping out to an early 6-1 lead. The Blue Jays would not be deterred fighting back within two, 6-4, after an ace by senior  
  Natalia Rabassa (Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico) and a kill from Carey. 

• The Raiders would go on to reestablish a five-point gap, 15-10, but a 3-0 USJ run capped off by a Benson kill pulled USJ within two, 15-13. However, the Blue Jays would not pull any closer, as Rivier took the second set, 25-19. 

• The third set featured a back-and-forth opening stanza as both sides played out a 7-7 tie. However, the Raiders would explode for a 9-2 stretch, taking a 16-9 lead. Three-straight Rivier attack errors cut their momentum, pulling the Blue Jays within four, 16-12. USJ though could not pull any closer as Rivier would take the third set, 25-14, and the opening match, 3-0. 

• USJ and SJC battled back-and-forth in the beginning of game two, forcing a 9-9 draw. However, it would be the Monks that jumped out to the lead, using an 8-0 run to take a 17-9 edge. 

• Two SJC errors cut their own momentum, while a further two Monk errors brought the Blue Jays within five, 20-15. A Carey kill followed by another Monks error saw the Blue Jays pull within four, 21-17, but the hosts would hold on, taking the opening set, 25-18. 

• SJC gained the early edge in set two, holding an 8-2 lead after the opening portion of the set. After the Blue Jays called a timeout, Carey put an end to the run with a kill, while an error brought USJ back within four, 8-4. However, the Monks would extend the gap to as much as 10, 20-10 later in the set. 

• The deficit proved too much for USJ as SJC took set two, 25-13. 

• USJ would be the ones to take the lead in the opening portion of the third set, 6-3. Fueling the run was a kill from Benson and an ace by Rabassa. 

• SJC tried to quell the Blue Jay's run, but back-to-back kills by Carey extended the gap to four, 8-4. 

• However, the Monks would not go down easy, pulling back within three, 13-10. From there, SJC used a timely 7-0 stretch to take a late 17-13 lead. USJ would respond in kind, as Benson cut the gap to one with an ace and a kill, 17-16.  

• The Blue Jays would continue to fight back, tying the set up at 21-21 after forcing a SJC error. The two sides would engage in a ferocious battle, trading points back-and-forth, going past the traditional 25-point benchmark. It would be the Monk's that reached a two-point lead first though, taking the final set, 29-27, and the match, 3-0. 

NOTES 

• Carey led the offense with 16 kills on the day. Benson trailed closely behind, tallying 13 kills. 

• Junior Fernanda Ayala Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) was the primary playmaker, dishing out 23 assists on the afternoon. She flirted with a double-double in both matches, tallying nine assists and nine digs against Rivier before tallying 14 assists and nine digs against SJC. 

• Rabassa paced the Blue Jays defensively, recording 23 digs on the afternoon. Rabassa was also a force from the service line, leading the team with three aces. 

• Rivier extended its winning streak to 12 matches over USJ. 

• With the victory, the Monks have now won nine of the last ten meetings against the Blue Jays, extending their lead in the all-time series to 11-4.