Box Score FAIRFIELD, CONN.- In an emotional night for the SHU seniors the women's volleyball team ended the night on top, out doing the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State in a five set nail biter. Six seniors were honored at the end of the night for all their dedication and hard work for the Pioneers.
Uncharacteristic of the Pioneer volleyball team, they opened up the first set losing 25-16 to a very skilled blocking team of CCSU. The Pioneers showed signs of life as Senior
Ana Gonzalez added a service ace early and showcased incredible athleticism as she dove to save a ball, which ignited the crowd The Blue Devils were focused early and went on to take the first set.
Going into set two a determined Rob Machan picked his team back up and get the Pioneers back on track as they went on to start the second set up 22-21. Senior Allison Riggs closed out the match posting two kills to end the set 25-22.
In the third set the Pioneers jumped to an early 4-0 lead after freshman Liisel Nelis added a service ace of her own. The match then stood 15-15 as the Blue Devils went on a late run to take the match 25-22.
Going into the fourth set the Pioneers showed their true colors as they bounced back from early struggles to an early 9-3 lead. Sophomore Makayla Dole registered 7 kills in the fourth set as the Pioneers went on to take the set 25-10 for their most dominant set of the night.
As the teams went into the final set of the night the crowd was a major factor in the success of the Pioneer team as they electrified the stands after a big kill from Senior Sarah Krufka to put the Pioneers ahead 4-2. As the match came down to the last few points Krufka put the team on her back and finished the night with a kill to close the regular season and give the teams a five set victory on senior night.
The Pioneers recognized six seniors in
Ana Gonzalez,
Lea Lieb,
Sarah Krufka,
Maddie Losure,
Tori Kemper, and
Allison Riggs. The Pioneers close regular season play and move their focus to the NEC tournament that will take place at Sacred Heart November 19
th-20
th. SHU Volleyball will be the #1 seed and look to take on the 4 seed at 5:00pm November 19
th.
Notable Performances-
Sarah Krufka- 19 kills, 4 block assists.
Kiki Robinson- 28 assists, 16 digs.
Ana Gonzalez- 2 service aces, 26 digs.
Liisel Nelis- 12 kills, 1 service ace, 18 digs, 1 block assist.
Makayla Dole- 22 kills, 15 digs, 3 block assists.
