Box Score RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Three-set women's volleyball matches do not come any tighter than Felician University's contest against Post University on Wednesday night at Job Gymnasium, but in the end the visiting Eagles prevailed 25-23, 27-25, and 25-23 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action.
The sides adeptly and consistently kept the ball in play. Felician committed only one service error and Post just three, and the teams combined for 169 digs (88-81 Eagles).
With the loss, however, the Golden Falcons (8-16, 4-10) fell a half-game behind Bloomfield College for fourth place and the final playoff spot from the CACC North Division. The Bears defeated Dominican (N.Y.) College on Wednesday. Felician, which has five conference matches remaining, meets Bloomfield on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Rutherford.
The victory lifted Post (12-12, 9-4) into first place by a half-game in the division.
Senior setter Brianna Root (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) directed a balanced Eagle offense, totaling 43 assists and 12 digs. Defensively, five difference Post players pulled up double-figure dig totals, led by 26 from sophomore libero Suzy Boulay (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston)
Felician freshman libero Sierra Gallagher (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kamehameha) tied a school record for digs in a three-set match with 35. Classmate Kahea Aea (Mililani, Hawaii/Kamehameha) amassed 14 kills and 14 digs in defeat, her ninth "double-double" of the season.
The first two sets followed a similar pattern, with the Eagles jumping out to early leads, only to see Felician fight back. In Set 1, Post was ahead, 7-2, but the Golden Falcons came back and assumed a 14-11 edge. The hosts still led, 21-18, before a Rylie Arms (Gilbert, Ariz./Highland) service ace capped a 5-0 Post spurt. A kill by Paulina Calero (El Centro, Calif./Southwest) and an ace from Katie Asbery (Mililani, Hawaii/Mililani) evened the set at 23-23, but Post earned the victory on a Felician error and an ace from Root.
Felician battled back from a deeper deficit in Set 2, having fallen behind 12-4. Still trailing, 16-8, the Golden Falcons came all the way back to gain a set point at 24-23. The Eagles saved it, and eventually closed out the set at 27-25 on kills by Sarah Seger (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) and Shannon Veale (Toms River, N.J./Toms River).
Set 3 featured 12 ties and 10 lead changes. Felician led, 23-22 before a kill by Arms tied the set. Root then came up with her only kill of the match. Felician called timeout, but the match ended shortly thereafter on an Arms ace.
Asbery hit .429 with nine kills for the Golden Falcons, and junior setter Charlotte Greek (Menifee, Calif./Murietta Mesa) finished with 30 asissts, eight digs and three aces. Senior Madison Hunziker (Sacramento, Calif./Rio Americano) paced the Eagles with 12 kills and 13 digs.
Felician senior defensive specialist Amanda Coccia (Rahway, N.J./Roselle Catholic) entered in each of the final two sets to appear in her 100th career match. She is the ninth player in Golden Falcon history to reach that milestone.
