Springfield, MA – Felician split a pair of matches Saturday at the Henry A. Butova Gymnasium, defeating Molloy, 3-2, before falling to American International, 3-0. The Golden Falcons earned a five-set victory over Molloy, 25-15, 20-25, 25-12, 16-25 and 15-12 before dropping the second match by set scores of 25-16, 25-12 and 25-19. Felician moved to 6-4 on the season with the split.
Game One– Felician 3, Molloy 2
Felician opened the day with a 4-0 lead before Molloy battled back to tie the opening set at 10-10. The Golden Falcons then took control behind a remarkable serving stretch from Rowan Jensen, who recorded four consecutive service aces as Felician extended its lead from 12-10 to 16-10. Felician continued to pull away and closed the set on a 7-0 run to take the opener, 25-15.
Molloy answered by taking the second set, 25-20, but Felician responded emphatically in the third. The Golden Falcons scored the first five points and extended the lead to 12-4 before cruising to a 25-12 victory. Molloy forced a deciding fifth set by winning the fourth, 25-16.
In the fifth, the teams battled to a 9-9 tie before Molloy moved ahead, 12-9. Felician answered with three straight points to even the score at 12-12. Nicole Nwaejiaku then delivered a kill to put the Golden Falcons ahead, 13-12, before a Molloy attack error made it 14-12. Nwaejiaku finished the comeback with another kill, giving Felician the 15-12 set victory and the 3-2 match win.
Standout Stats
Key Moments
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Set 1 – Felician jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Molloy tied the set at 7-7 and again at 10-10. Jensen then recorded four consecutive service aces as the Golden Falcons surged ahead, 16-10, before closing the set, 25-15.
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Set 2 – Molloy turned a 7-7 tie into a 14-7 lead with a 7-0 run. Felician battled back to within three points at 17-14 and later 20-17, but Molloy held on for a 25-20 victory.
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Set 3 – Felician scored the first five points and built a 12-4 advantage. The Golden Falcons maintained control throughout the remainder of the frame and won, 25-12.
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Set 4 – Molloy took a 4-4 tie and turned it into an 8-4 advantage before extending the lead to 13-8. Felician could not close the gap and Molloy forced a fifth set with a 25-16 victory.
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Set 5 – Molloy took a 12-9 lead, but Felician responded with three consecutive points to tie the deciding set. Nwaejiaku then recorded the go-ahead kill at 13-12 and the match-clinching kill at 15-12 to complete the comeback.
Game Two – American International 3, Felician 0
Felician and American International battled through a competitive opening set, with the Golden Falcons building an 11-6 advantage after back-to-back service aces from Sophia Watterson. American International responded with six straight points to pull even at 12-12. Felician regained a 14-12 lead and later went ahead 16-14, but American International answered with nine consecutive points to take the opening set, 25-16.
American International took control early in the second set, opening a 12-2 lead. Felician battled back to cut the deficit to 15-7, but could not overcome the early advantage as American International claimed the set, 25-12. In the third, Felician again battled after falling behind, cutting a 14-6 deficit to 19-12 before American International closed out the match, 25-19.
Standout Stats
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Sandra Galas led Felician with nine kills and 10.0 points while adding two digs.
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Emily Ferri recorded six kills on 19 attacks while adding three digs and 6.5 points.
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Sophia Watterson finished with two kills, 13 assists and six digs.
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Nicole Nwaejiaku contributed four kills, two digs and two block assists.
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Leena Ortiz added four kills and 5.5 points.
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Rowan Jensen recorded four digs while handling 36 reception attempts.
Key Moments
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Set 1 – Felician opened an 11-6 lead behind consecutive service aces from Watterson. American International answered with six straight points to tie the set at 12-12 before the Golden Falcons later held a 16-14 advantage. The hosts then scored nine consecutive points to win, 25-16.
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Set 2 – American International jumped out to a 12-2 lead. Felician trimmed the deficit to 15-7 and later 20-10, but the hosts closed the set, 25-12.
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Set 3 – American International built a 14-6 advantage before Felician fought back to make it 19-12. The hosts answered and finished the match with a 25-19 victory.
