ITHACA, N.Y. – The William Paterson volleyball team (14-10, 3-3 NJAC) collected a 3-1 victory over #RV William Smith (18-4, 5-1 Liberty League) before falling, 3-1, to No. 15 Ithaca (19-3, 7-0 Liberty League) during a tri-match Oct. 25 hosted by Ithaca College.
MATCH ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers trailed 9-6 in the opening set before a kill by freshman Riley Elliott (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge) sparked a 19-6 run that gave WP the 25-15 victory.
- An 8-3 run in the second set put the Herons in front, 18-13. The Pioneers climbed back, trimming the deficit to three (22-19), but William Smith scored three unanswered points to secure the 25-19 win.
- The Herons held a slim 18-17 advantage until junior Sofia Zablackis (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) recorded a kill that sent the Pioneers on an 8-2 run to capture the 25-20 come-from-behind victory.
- WP trailed by one (22-21) late in the fourth set following five consecutive points by the Herons. The two sides continued to trade points until the Pioneers eventually grabbed the 27-25 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Junior Kristian Glenn (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) paced the Pioneers with 13 kills on 23 attacks for a .565 hitting percentage.
- Glenn and Zablackis recorded four blocks apiece.
- Elliott finished with 12 kills, 12 digs and three aces.
- Junior Cecilia Miller (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) logged 12 kills and four digs.
- Junior Laura Gruener (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) tallied five blocks while adding five kills.
- Junior Abby Houpt (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) had a match-high 43 assists to go with nine digs.
- Sophomore Bella Demers (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee) posted a 23-dig outing while contributing four assists.
- Senior Abigail Hayth (Milford, N.J./Delaware Valley Regional) notched 11 digs.
MATCH TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- WP used a 10-3 run in the first set to pull within one (16-15). Despite the Pioneers' ability to stay within striking distance, the Bombers held on for the 25-21 victory.
- The Pioneers built an early advantage in the second set and maintained the lead before Miller posted back-to-back kills to seal the 25-18 win.
- Ithaca took a commanding 21-9 lead in the third set and went on to claim the 25-11 victory.
- Kills from Glenn and Miller helped the Pioneers trim the deficit to six (18-12) in the fourth set. However, the Bombers went on a 7-2 run to earn the 25-14 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Miller recorded a team-high 13 kills.
- Glenn logged an 11-kill performance on 17 attacks for a .647 hitting percentage.Â
- Junior Taylor Grady (Hillsdale, N.J./Pasack Valley) totaled a career-high 28 assists to go with three aces, three digs and a pair of blocks.
- Demers and Hayth collected 13 and 12 digs, respectively.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson hosts Ramapo Tuesday, Oct. 28, for a 7:00 p.m. conference match at the Sports and Recreation Center.
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