BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Freshman Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) totaled 13 kills and six digs to lead Long Island University Post to a 3-1 victory over Daemen College here today in East Coast Conference women's volleyball action.
It marked the 2014 season finale for Daemen, which finishes at 2-27 overall and 2-14 in the league. LIU Post has now won nine of its last 11 matches and improved to 17-12 and 10-5 in the ECC.
The host Pioneers opened with a 25-15 win in game one and appeared ready to sweep the visiting Wildcats after posting a 25-13 victory in game two. Daemen would not go down without a fight though, as the Wildcats battled back with a 25-15 victory in game three. The Pioneers had to rally for a 25-19 victory in game four to secure the match.
Freshman Jenna Reeser (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) led the Wildcats, as she equaled her season-high for kills with 14. Fellow rookie Katie McKrell (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) handed out 31 assists and also recorded nine digs. Sophomore Amber Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) added nine kills and 10 digs.
It marked the final collegiate match for Daemen seniors Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y./Immaculata) and Chelsea Turcer (Alexander, N.Y./Alexander Central). Nowak totaled eight kills and equaled her career-high for digs (which she set last night in a loss to New York Tech) with 10. Nowak closed out her four-year career with 1,124 kills in 136 career matches. Turcer registered nine digs today and finished her career with 655 digs in 134 career matches.
Freshman Heather Ball (Gilbert, Ariz.) helped the LIU Post cause with eight kills and five blocks, while senior Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy) dished out a team-high 20 assists. Junior Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) added 21 digs.
LIU Post held an 8-4 lead early in game one and took control following a 9-3 run that gave the hosts a 17-7 lead. Game two was tied at 5-5 early on before the Pioneers ran off six unanswered points for an 11-5 lead. Daemen came no closer than six points the rest of the game. Game three was tight early on and Daemen held a 16-13 lead when the Wildcats took control with seven unanswered points. Daemen held a 13-12 in game four when the Pioneers rallied with a 9-1 run that gave the hosts a 21-14 lead.
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