ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. -- 10 different Wildcats recorded kills as the Daemen University women's volleyball team fell in a five-set battle at Molloy University on Saturday. The Wildcats won the second set to even the match up, but after dropping the third, Daemen forced a fifth set by winning the fourth 25-18. The Wildcats led the fifth 13-11, but Molloy won five of the last six points to win the fifth and take the match 3-2 (18-25, 26-24, 16-25, 25-18, 14-16). With the loss, Daemen moves to 11-10 overall and 3-4 in East Coast Conference action. Molloy, currently third in the conference, improves to 10-12 and 5-3 in ECC play.
Daemen freshman outside hitter
Audrey Johnson (Mequon, Wisc.) opened the first set with a service ace, but Molloy answered with a serving turn that included two aces to move ahead 4-1. The Wildcats pulled within 7-5 on a kill from junior right side
Payton Gaylor (Bowmanville, Ont.) and an ace by
Avery Craig (Tomball, Tex.) before Molloy scored seven straight points to stretch the lead to 14-5. Senior setter
Maddie Schamaun (Rockville, Md.) served consecutive aces to make it 16-10 and from there, the Wildcats put together a four-point stretch with to get to 21-17. Molloy won four of the last six points to take the first, 25-19.
The Wildcats and Lions traded ties through 9-9 early in the second. Molloy moved ahead 12-9 before junior libero
Jarielys Giraud (Orlando, Fla.) served an ace and
Jolie Faw (Williamsburg, Va.) put down a kill to help the Wildcats pull even at 12-12. Molloy later went in front 23-19, but the Wildcats responded with
Mina Faw and
Jolie Faw (Williamsburg, Va.) kills to tie the set at 23-23. After Molloy got to set point at 24-23,
Mina Faw tied it with a kill and
Peyton Lowes (Northville, Mich.) served consecutive aces to close the Wildcats' 26-24 set win and tie the match at one a piece.
Molloy opened the match on an 8-3 run until Gaylor stopped that sequence with a kill, but Molloy added four straight points to make it 12-4 before the Wildcats picked up consecutive points on a pair of Lion errors. The Wildcats later strung together three points on a Johnson kill, a Molloy attack error and a Giraud ace to get within 17-11. Molloy kept the gap from closing further, reached set point at 24-15 and finished the set 25-16 on a Wildcats attack error.
After Molloy took the opening point, the Wildcats moved in front 4-1 on a kill by Johnson and three kills from freshman middle hitter
Etana Murray (Binghamton, N.Y.). The Wildcats kept the margin at four when a block by Murray and Gaylor and an ace from junior middle hitter
Vera Tops (Senigallia, Italy) made it 10-6. A kill from Johnson and an ace by Schamaun later pushed the score to 13-7, Cats on top. Molloy got back within three (15-12) on three straight points, but the Wildcats answered through kills by Craig,
Jolie Faw and Gaylor to stay ahead. Schamaun added a kill and back-to-back aces during a run to 24-16 and a Molloy error sealed the Wildcats' 25-18 fourth-set win.
In the fifth set,
Mina Faw twice tied the game up with kills, and Giraud's ace gave the Wildcats a 3-2 lead before Molloy answered with kills to move ahead 5-3. The Wildcats stayed close with kills by Craig, junior outside
Olivia Urbon (Chicago, Ill.) and
Jolie Faw, and Gaylor's kill followed by Tops' ace put the Cats back in front, 8-7. Molloy took a 9-8 lead, but Murray tied it with a kill, teamed with
Mina Faw on a block for a 10-9 edge, and added another block as the Wildcats built a 12-10 lead before Molloy tied it at 13-13.
Mina Faw put the Wildcats ahead 14-13 with a kill, but Molloy claimed the final three points to take the set 16-14 and the match, 3-2.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Mina Faw posted a season-high 14 kills while hitting .225 and added a solo block and one block assist for 15.5 points.
- Gaylor totaled nine kills and three block assists.
- Johnson tallied eight kills and added 10 digs, one ace and one assist.
- Schamaun posted her sixth double-double of the season, posting 22 assists, 16 digs and a season-high five aces.
- Lowes totaled 14 assists, three aces, five digs and one kill.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will wrap up the weekend's road trip with a 12 PM match at Queens on Sunday.
