CALDWELL, N.J. – A four-match road stand began Tuesday (Sept. 5) evening as the Queens College volleyball team traveled to Caldwell, New Jersey with a non-conference matchup against the Cougars of Caldwell University at the Newman Center.
Having taken a 2-1 set lead, Queens found themselves trailing by three before using a 6-1 run to earn a 3-1
(Set Scores: 25-17, 16-25, 25-19, 25-23) victory over the Cougars.
With the 3-1 victory, Queens improved their record to 3-1 on the season and earned their third straight win over the Cougars.
Match Four at Caldwell (Set Scores: 25-17, 16-25, 25-19, 25-23)
Looking to find their groove early on, attacking errors would see them fall behind 5-1 before they regrouped to battle back.
Trailing 9-7, the Knights used an 8-1 run to take a 16-10 lead. After the host cut the Knights lead down to 16-12, the junior duo of
Alicia Cervera (Valencia, Spain), Christina Franco (Lynbrook, N.Y.), and sophomore
Kendall Conrad (Carolltown, PA) would lead the way as Queens earned a 25-17 first set victory to take a 1-0 match lead.
The second set would see the Knights out of sorts as a 6-5 deficit ballooned to 12-5 and they would never recover as the host earned a 25-16 second set victory to tie the match 1-1.
It would be another sluggish start to the third set as the host took an 8-3 lead before senior
Alexis Deodat (Tampa Bay, FL) and Franco led the Knights on a 7-1 run to take a 10-9 slim lead.
Both sides would trade leads but with the third set tied 14-14, Queens used a 5-1 run to take a 19-15 lead forcing a Caldwell timeout.
Leading 22-19, a service error by the Cougars would put the Knights two points away from taking a 2-1 match lead. Back-to-back blocks from Conrad and Deodat would ensure Queens earned a 25-19 third set victory to take a 2-1 lead.
It would be a battle of runs in the early going of the fourth set. With the set tied 10-10, 6-2 run by Cougars would put them up 16-12 before Cervera and Franco brought the Knights within one, 17-16.
After another 2-0 run by Caldwell saw them take a 19-16 advantage, Cervera would record back-to-back kills before an ace from Franco tied the fourth set at 19-19 forcing a home timeout.
The timeout would help stop the Knights rhythm as the Cougars took a 22-19 lead forcing Queens to take a timeout of their own.
Using the timeout to their advantage, the duo of Cervera and Conrad would help Queens finish the match on a 6-1 run as the Knights earned a 25-23 fourth set victory to clinch the match to the final score of 3-1.
Match Highlights
- It would be a career day for Cervera as the junior recorded 15 kills, while Conrad recorded her fourth straight double-digit kills match with 12 to go with six digs and two blocks.
- While sophomore Lindsay Osterhoudt (Orlando, FL) tied a season-high seven kills and Deodat recorded six kills and a season-high four blocks.
- Franco tallied five kills, eight digs, and two service aces in the victory.
- Junior Debbie Boudouris (Athens, Greece) recorded a match-high 26 assists.
- While sophomore Sarah Munn (Torrance, CA) notched a team-high 17 digs and classmate Jayna Marie Lorenzo (Rodeo, CA) tallied eight assists and two digs off the bench.
Next Match: Head Coach
Stefan Leger and the Knights continue the road stand as they travel to Wilmington, Del. for the 2023 Wildcat Regional Invitational hosted by Wilmington University. The Knights open the Invitational on Friday (Sept. 8) afternoon as they match up against the Tigers Holy Family University. First serve set for 1:00 p.m.
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).
