NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Rivier women's volleyball team fell to Lasell 3-1 before sweeping Albertus Magnus in Saturday afternoon's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match at the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.
With the results, the Raiders moved to 6-5 (3-1 GNAC), while the Lasers improved to 7-7 (7-0 GNAC) and the Falcons fell to 4-7 (0-5 GNAC).
Lasell 3, Rivier 1 (21-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-25)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Rivier raced out to a 9-2 lead behind kills from senior Sam Driend, junior Savannah Dunne, and junior Lydia Brakefield, along with a pair of service aces from sophomore Mollie Miner. The Raiders continued to control the opening stages, building a 13-6 advantage before Lasell answered with six straight points to pull within 13-12. Rivier regained a three-point cushion at 15-12 and later held a 16-15 edge, but the Lasers used a 6-0 stretch to move in front, 20-16. The Raiders battled back to within 21-20 and 22-21, but Lasell scored the final three points to take the opening set, 25-21.
- Rivier and Lasell traded momentum throughout the second set, with the Raiders overcoming an early 5-2 deficit to pull even at 5-5. The Lasers regained the lead and built their largest advantage of the set at 15-9, but Rivier responded with five consecutive points to cut the margin to one. The Raiders continued to pressure the Lasell, eventually taking an 18-17 lead following a Dunne kill and a Lasers error. After Lasell regained the lead at 20-18, Rivier pulled even again at 20-20 on a block from first-year Ava Pohopek. Lasell, however, answered with three straight points and went on to close the set, 25-21.
- Rivier came out strong in the third set, scoring eight of the first nine points to establish an early 8-1 advantage. The Raiders maintained their pressure behind kills from Dunne, Brakefield and Driend, extending the lead to 12-2 before Lasell trimmed the deficit to 12-5. Rivier continued to hold a comfortable lead, taking an 18-10 advantage, but the Lasers responded with four straight points to make it 18-14. The Raiders quickly regained control, scoring five consecutive points to push the lead to 23-14 and eventually reaching set point at 24-15. Lasell cut the margin to 24-17, but Rivier finished the set on a Pohopek kill, 25-17, to force a fourth set.
- Lasell opened the fourth set with five consecutive points and continued to build its advantage, moving ahead 10-2. Rivier answered with three straight points, including consecutive Lasell attack errors and a Driend kill, to pull within 10-5. The Lasers regained control and stretched the lead to 19-8 before the Raiders mounted another push. Rivier scored three consecutive points to make it 19-11, then later used kills from Dunne and Brakefield to pull within 23-15. Lasell closed out the set with four of the final six points, taking the frame 25-15 and the match 3-1.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Driend led the offense with eight kills, followed by Brakefield, Dunne, and Pohopek with six each.
- Brakefield added a team best .357 hitting percentage.
- Junior Lily Seibel logged 20 assists.
- Defensively, Miner led the way with 12 digs.
Rivier 3, Albertus Magnus 0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-12)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Rivier established control early in the opening set, turning a 1-1 tie into a 6-1 lead behind kills from Dunne, Seibel and Driend, along with an ace from sophomore Mia Pento. The Raiders continued to build their advantage, pushing the margin to 10-4 before Albertus Magnus answered with three straight points. Rivier quickly responded, using a pair of kills from first-year Ashlee Salafia and Dunne and an ace from Pohopek to extend the lead to 16-9. The Falcons never got closer than six points the rest of the way, and the Raiders closed out the set, 25-17, on a Falcons attack error.
- Rivier and Albertus Magnus traded points early in the second set before the Raiders built a 9-6 advantage following kills from sophomore Fiona Rexford and Seibel and a block from Driend and Pohopek. The Falcons answered with a 3-0 run to tie the frame at 9-9. Both teams continued to exchange points until Albertus Magnus went on a 5-0 to take its first lead of the set. The Falcons added another 3-0 run to build a 21-16 lead before Rivier responded with a Driend kill and a block from Seibel to cut the deficit to 22-18 before the Raiders completely flipped the set. Rivier scored seven consecutive points to close out the frame, including an ace from sophomore Reagan Pepin and a kill from Pohopek, rallying for a 25-22 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
- Rivier fell behind 2-0 in the third set before the Raiders settled in and eventually pulled even at 5-5 on back-to-back kills from sophomore Emma Zeblisky and junior Annabelle Lozzi. Albertus Magnus regained a two-point lead at 7-5, but Rivier responded with a dominant stretch, scoring 16 consecutive points to turn a 7-8 deficit into a 22-8 advantage with Pepin behind the service line. The run featured kills from junior Lacey Turner, Pohopek, Salafia, Seibel and first-year Zoe Schulze, along with two service aces from Pepin. The Falcons managed to trim the deficit to 22-10 before the Raiders reached match point at 24-12. Dunne finished the match with a kill, completing the 25-12 set victory and the 3-0 sweep.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- As a team, Rivier outhit Albertus Magnus .211 to .010
- Pohopek led the team with seven kills, followed by Salafia and Dunne with six apiece.
- Seibel added 28 digs to her total on the day as well as a team-high 10 digs.
UP NEXT
The Raiders return to the court Wednesday Sept. 30 for a non-conference intrastate matchup with Plymouth St. The opening serve is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Foley Gymnasium.
