AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's volleyball team dropped a four-set decision (20-25, 30-32, 25-23, 13-25) to visiting Queens College today in an East Coast Conference Saturday matinee at Lumsden Gymnasium. The win gives Queens a sweep of the season series as they improve to 10-13 overall and 4-9 in the league. Daemen, meanwhile, falls to 1-25 overall and 1-12 in the ECC.
The Wildcats held leads in each of the first two sets before eventually succumbing to the Knights. In the second set, Daemen was on the verge of tying the match, leading 24-22 before Queens rattled off three straight points to force it into extra points. The teams traded points over the next 13 serves, with neither team able to closeout the set until the Knights got back-to-back points to snap a 30-all tie. Kills be Francesca Indoni and Ragina Anthony did the trick for Queens. Daemen held leads at 26-25 and 28-27 but couldn't get the elusive set-point to knot the match.
The Wildcats clawed back into contention with a win in the third set. They went up 11-6 early, prompting a Queens timeout. The Knights responded by winning eight of the next 12 points to pull within one (15-14). But, Daemen went back ahead by four (18-14) following a Queens attack error, a service ace from
Chelsea Turcer (Alexander, N.Y./Alexander Central) and a kill from
Amber Drzymala (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster).
Queens pulled within one again with a modest 3-0 spurt to make the score 21-20, but Daemen responded with a
Jakki Steck (Depew, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) kill. The teams traded points with Daemen maintaining at least a one-point lead until a Queens service error ended the period, cutting the Knights' two-sets-to-none lead in half.
But, that would be as close as Daemen would get. Queens used a 6-0 spurt to take control in the pivotal fourth set, turning a 6-5 lead into a seven-point bulge (12-5). The Knights extended the run, ultimately winning 19 of the set's final 27 points to closeout the match.
Arielle Dicocco led a balanced Queens attack with 17 kills. Anthony notched 13 kills, while Indoni and Tori Bowser split 24 kills for the Knights as well. Anthony and Indoni each recorded double-doubles, adding 21 and 11 digs, respectively to their offensive output.
Kristen Moore put up a match-high 53 assists for Queens as well.
Daemen was paced by senior
Lindsey Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y./Immaculata) who contributed a team-high 16 kills and an attack percentage of 31-percent. Drzymala added 13 kills and 17 digs for her sixth double-double of the year. Steck was next with nine kills for the Wildcat offense.
Freshman setter
Katie McKrell (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) notched 27 assists while sophomore
Ryanne Dugan (Forestville, N.Y./Forestville Central) added a career-best 16. For Dugan, it was her fifth match of the year with double-figure assists and her first since Sept. 20 against the University of Bridgeport.
Turcer matched Drzymala's 17 digs to share team-high honors for the Daemen defense.
Daemen will host its final home match of the season tomorrow morning when Molloy College invades Lumsden Gymnasium in another ECC affair set for 11 a.m.
