FLUSHING, N.Y. – On Friday (Sept. 1) morning, the Queens College volleyball team 2023 season got underway as head coach
Stefan Leger and the Knights hosted the Aline Pascale Lubin Invitational by welcome the University of Charleston Golden Eagles and the Eagles of Post University to Fitzgerald Gymnasium.
Matching up against the Golden Eagles in a non-regional matchup and for the first time in program history, the Knights would earn their first sweep of the season with a 3-0
(Set Score: 25-22, 25-23, 25-23) victory.
While in game two, Queens battled back from a set down before winning three straight sets to defeat the Eagles 3-1
(22-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-19) as the Knights opened the 2023 season on a positive note.
For the first time since the 2014 season, Queens have opened the year on a 2-0 note.
Match One vs. Charleston (Set Score: 25-22, 25-23, 25-23)
It would be a back-and-forth first set to start the match, but with the Knights trailing 7-6, a Golden Eagles service error would start a 5-0 run for the home side with junior
Christina Franco (Lynbrook, N.Y.) recording two kills and one service ace from senior
Alexis Deodat (Tampa Bay, FL) to take an 11-7 lead.
But a 7-0 run by the visitors would see the home side train 14-11 before three straight errors by Charleston tied the first set at 14-14.
With the first set tied 22-22, a kill from Franco put the Knights up 23-22 before junior
Despina Boudouris(Athens, Greece) closed the first set with back-to-back service aces to give Queens a 1-0 lead with a 25-22 first set victory.
The Golden Eagles would control the first half of the second set as they led 15-11 before Queens mounted a comeback.
A Charleston service error would start a 5-0 run for the Knights with Deodat and sophomore
Kendall Conrad(Carolltown, PA) recording a kill apiece before junior
Alicia Cervera Sospedra (Valencia, Spain) notched a service ace to give the home side a 16-15 lead.
After the visitors took a 20-19 lead, sophomore
Lindsay Osterhoudt (Orlando, FL) would take over as Queens finished the second set with a 6-3 run to take a commanding 2-0 set lead with a 25-23 victory.
Charleston would open the scoring in the third set before the trio of Conrad, Sospedra, and Osterhoudt combined for three kills as the Knights took a 5-1 lead.
The visitors would battle back to tie the third set 8-8 before another swing of points saw the lead exchange hands once again.
With the Knights leading 21-19, a 3-0 run by the visitors would put them up 22-21 before the Knights went on to record back to back points including a service ace from Boudouris to give Queens the lead right back.
After the Golden Eagles tied the third set 23-23, Franco ensured the Knights would walk away victorious in their opening match of the season with a kill to bring up the match point before the junior put the finishing touch with a service ace as Queens earned a 25-23 third set victory to earn a 3-0 victory and their first win of the season.
Match Highlights
- Conrad led both teams by recording a match-high 10 kills with two service aces and five digs.
- Deodat recorded eight kills to go with two blocks and Franco missed out on a double-double recording seven kills to go with a match-high 11 digs.
- Boudouris recorded a match-high 30 assists to go with a team-high three service aces, six digs, and three kills.
Match Two vs. Post University (Set Scores: 22-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-19)
In match two of the day, Queens would need to battle back as they dropped a hard-fought first set to the score of 25-22 to trail 1-0.
But Queens would come out in the second set with a different energy led by sophomore
Sarah Munn (Torrance, CA) who recorded two service aces in the Knights 5-1 run to open the second set.
Queens would extend that advantage to 11-4 before another 5-1 run saw them take a commanding 16-8 lead as the Knights looked to quickly tie the match.
However, the visitors would use a 7-1 run to cut the home side's advantage down to 17-15 before the Knights took a commanding lead of 24-19 and were one point away from tying the match. But errors would haunt the Knights as Post tied the set 24-24 to force the winning point beyond 25.
Not looking to go down 0-2, a kill from Osterhoudt would help Queens reclaim a 25-24 lead before an Eagles attacking error earned the Knights a 26-24 second set victory to tie the match at 1-1.
Once again Queens would come out swinging in the third set as they extended an 8-6 lead to 13-6. But with the Knights leading 20-12, the Eagles refused to go down without a fight as they cut the advantage down to three points 23-20.
But Sospedra and Conrad would put the finishing touch on the third set with back-to-back kills as Queens earned a 25-20 third set victory to take a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set would see both teams exchange leads in the early going before the Eagles took a 10-7 lead.
Queens would fight back as Osterhoudt and Sospedra tallied a block party in the Knights 6-2 run to take a 13-12 advantage.
Post would reclaim a slim lead of 18-16 before the Knights ended the match on a 9-1 run to earn the comeback victory to the final score of 3-1 with a fourth set victory of 25-19.
Match Highlights
- For the second straight match, Conrad led the offense notching her first career double-double with a match-high 16 kills to go with 13 digs (tying a career-high) and two service aces.
- It would be a near double-double for Franco as the junior tallied nine kills to go with 16 digs and three service aces.
- Osterhoudt tallied seven kills to go with four blocks, while it was an all-round effort from Sospedra who notched six kills, four service aces, and eight digs.
- Boudouris recorded her first double-double of the season with a match-high 36 assists (season-high) and 10 digs while tying a career-high four service aces.
- Munn matched a career-high three service aces and a match-high 20 digs.
Post Match Comment
Head Coach Stefan Leger: "Winning the first two games of the season is a great feeling. The team showed how hard they have worked since last season to improve. Stellar contributions from Munn, Conrad, and Deodat, to name a few, were key factors in our wins today. Our tight knit group fights for each other and the resilience that showed should be applauded. We are very excited to go for a 3-0 start to the season tomorrow"
Follow the Knights
All home games will be live-streamed on the
ECC Sports Network and fans can follow along on
live stats as well
Next Match: Head Coach
Stefan Leger and the Knights conclude the opening weekend of play on Saturday (Sept. 2) afternoon as the Ravens of Franklin Pierce University visit Fitzgerald Gymnasium. First serve set for noon.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), and Instagram (qcknightsny), women's volleyball (qcknightsvb).
