August 29, 2009
VB: DOLPHINS OPEN SEASON WITH SWEEP OF MOLLOY AND CHESTNUT
HILL
Rockville Centre, N.Y. - Senior all-conference outside hitter
Elizabeth Cheek (Huntington Beach, Calif./Rosary)
landed 13 kills and recorded nine digs to lead the Le Moyne College
volleyball team to a doubleheader sweep on Saturday at Quealy
Gymnasium. The Dolphins defeated host Molloy College by scores of
25-23, 25-22 and 25-23 and knocked off Chestnut Hill 25-21, 25-11
and 25-9.
In game one of the Molloy match, the Dolphins jumped out to an 8-3
lead behind the serve of freshman middle hitter Morgan
McDermott (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee). Le Moyne extended
its lead to 18-8 on the serve of freshmen Katie Plukas
(Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) and Bethany
Fabian (Lake View, N.Y./Frontier) and senior libero
Lindsey Gleason (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier). Plukas
and Fabian each picked up a pair of points, while Gleason recorded
three. Molloy chipped away at the Le Moyne lead and pulled to
within 24-23, but Plukas landed a kill off a pass from Cheek to
seal the victory.
In game two, Molloy cruised out to leads of 10-3 and 15-6 before
the Dolphins made their comeback. Following a service error by the
Lions, freshman outside hitter Allison Hebel (Greenlawn,
N.Y./Harborfields) picked up two points and Gleason three
to get Le Moyne within three points. After trading the next 10
points, junior outside hitter Krista Prentice (Amherst,
N.Y./Sweet Home) landed a kill to regain the serve for the
Dolphins trailing 21-19. The Dolphins split the next two points
before closing out the match with five consecutive points, four
coming off the serve of Hebel.
Le Moyne only trailed by a single point on two occasions in taking
the third set, 25-23. The Dolphins opened the match by taking 12 of
the first 18 points, capped by a service ace by senior setter
Kaylin Brainerd (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool).
Following a timeout, the Lions bounced back with an 8-1 streak of
their own to take a 14-13 lead. After trading points, sophomore
middle hitter Kelli Willets (Apalachin,
N.Y./Vestal) registered a kill to knot the score at 15
apiece. The Dolphins then scored four of the next five points,
including a pair by Hebel. Molloy evened the contest at 23 on a Le
Moyne attack error before Prentice and Hebel landed consecutive
kills to end the match.
Prentice landed eight kills to tie Cheek for team-high honors,
while also dishing out five assists. Brainerd registered 14 assists
and seven digs, while Plukas recorded 11 assists, three kills and
three assists in her first collegiate match.
In the opening game of the nightcap, the Dolphins rallied from an
18-12 deficit for a 25-21 victory. Following a Le Moyne attack
error to give Chestnut Hill its largest lead, the Dolphins scored
eight of the game's next 10 points to knot the score at 20 apiece.
Brainerd tallied four consecutive points off serve to pull the
Dolphins even. After back-to-back errors by each team, Cheek served
for four consecutive points to end the game.
In game two, Le Moyne took early leads of 5-1, 10-3 and 16-7 on
its way to a 25-11 victory. Prentice posted four kills in the game,
while Fabian had two kills and three service aces.
The Dolphins cruised to a 25-9 win in the final game of the
afternoon. With a 6-4 lead, junior Andrea Sterling
(Bloomfield, N.Y./Bloomfield) tallied six straight points,
including four consecutive service aces, as the Dolphins took
control of the game. After a pair of points by Chestnut Hill,
junior Michelle Murray (Belle Harbor, N.Y./St.
Edmund) put the Dolphins ahead 18-6 with three points off
serve and Brainerd followed with three points of her own. Three
points later, McDermott ended the match with a kill off a pass from
Brainerd.
Le Moyne (2-0) returns to action for its home opener on Tuesday,
September 8 at 7:00 p.m. against Roberts Wesleyan.
-agate-
Le Moyne 3, Molloy
0
Le Moyne
(1-0)
25
25 25
Molloy
(0-1)
23
22 23
Le Moyne 3,
Chestnut Hill 0
Chestnut Hill (0-1)
21
11 9
Le Moyne
(2-0)
25
25 25
