Rutherford, N.J. – Felician continued its strong start to the 2026-27 season Tuesday evening, defeating Pace University, 3-1, at home. The Golden Falcons claimed the match by set scores of 25-21, 25-27, 25-19 and 25-18 to improve to 5-1 on the season.
Felician finished the night with 50 kills on 147 attacks while hitting .211 as a team. Peyton Kellam paced the Golden Falcons with 20 kills, while Ashanna Caviness added 11 and Sandra Galas contributed nine. Bentley Rone orchestrated the offense with 37 assists, while Kellam and Rowan Jensen each recorded 15 or more digs.
Standout Stats
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Peyton Kellam led all players with 20 kills on 47 attacks while hitting .298. She also recorded three service aces, 11 digs, one solo block and one block assist for 24.5 points.
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Ashanna Caviness recorded 11 kills on 27 attacks while hitting .296, adding six digs and 11.0 points.
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Sandra Galas finished with nine kills on 34 attacks, 15 digs and 9.5 points.
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Bentley Rone led Felician with 37 assists and added three kills and seven digs.
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Rowan Jensen contributed 15 digs and one kill.
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Felician totaled 50 kills, 45 assists, 11 service aces and 64 digs as a team.
Key Moments
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Set 1 (25-21) | Felician took an early 4-2 lead following a Pace attack error and a Caviness kill. The Golden Falcons maintained their advantage throughout the middle portion of the set, leading 15-12 and later 19-17. With Pace within 20-19, Felician responded with a block from Galas and Faith Sibert before another Pace attack error extended the lead to 22-19. Kellam followed with back-to-back kills to put the Golden Falcons at set point, and Emily Clayton finished the opening frame with a kill, 25-21.
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Set 2 (25-27) | Pace jumped out to a 4-1 advantage before Felician battled back to take a 9-6 lead. The Setters eventually regained control and built a 22-18 advantage, but the Golden Falcons refused to go quietly. Felician scored four straight to tie the set at 22-22, and Kellam's service ace gave the Golden Falcons set point at 24-23. Pace answered to force extra points, and after Galas tied the set at 25-25 with a kill, Pace scored the final two points to even the match.
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Set 3 (25-19) | Pace opened the third set with a 3-0 lead, but Felician quickly answered. Galas' kill tied the set at 4-4, while kills from Galas and Kellam helped the Golden Falcons take an 8-6 lead. Felician continued to build its advantage, moving ahead 17-12 before Pace trimmed the deficit to two. The Golden Falcons responded with kills from Rone and Kellam, along with a Pace attack error, to take a 23-18 lead. Kellam then closed the set with a service ace, giving Felician a 25-19 win and a 2-1 match lead.
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Set 4 (25-18) | Pace held leads of 5-4 and 9-6 early in the deciding frame before Felician turned the momentum. The Golden Falcons rallied to take a 12-9 lead, highlighted by kills from Kellam, Caviness and Galas. Felician extended its advantage to 15-12 and continued to control the set late, leading 20-16 and 23-17. Kellam's kill put the Golden Falcons at match point, 24-17, and after Pace answered with one final point, Kellam delivered the match-clinching kill for a 25-18 victory.
Up Next
Felician hits the road this weekend, traveling to American International College to compete in the East Region Clash Tournament.
