BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – The St. Francis College Brooklyn women's volleyball team (0-2, 0-2 NEC) battled tough in its return to action, but fell to LIU (2-0, 2-0 NEC) in the Spring 2021 season opening doubleheader on Tuesday. The Terriers took the court for the first time in 472 days following their Fall season being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
St. Francis was edged in the first match of the day in four sets (19-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-25). The Terriers picked up their first set win as they took the second set in match one, 25-17. St. Francis was defeated in the second match in four sets (20-25, 20-25, 25-21, 17-25). After dropping the first two sets, the Terriers stormed back in the third and took the frame, 25-21. LIU was able to pull away with the match in the fourth set by knocking off the Terriers, 25-17, to clinch its second victory of the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Match 1: St. Francis Brooklyn – 1 | LIU – 3 (19-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-25)
- LIU took control of the match in the first set, by coming away with the opening frame, 25-19. The Terriers responded in the second set by coming away with a big set win by the final margin of 25-17. From there, LIU took the third set, 25-19, and the fourth set, 25-15, to earn the win.
- Senior outside hitter Vanja Miljacic led the Terriers as she recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs. The senior hit .286 in the match and tallied 14.5 points for the Terriers. In addition, she recorded two assists and one block assist over four sets of action.
- Junior outside hitter Carla Hernandez finished her first match as a Terrier with a near double-double. The outside hitter totaled eight kills on .233 hitting and picked up 10 digs, which were tied for the second-most on the team with Miljacic. Hernandez dished out two assists and recorded a block assist in the match.
- Junior setter Angelee Ng guided the Terriers offense as she dished out 29 assists over four sets. The setter also tallied a pair of kills on .667 hitting and registered four digs in the match.
- Junior libero Kizzy Rodriguez totaled a team-high 12 digs in the contest as she increased her career total to 967.
- Junior middle blocker Iva Vranic made her Terriers' debut and notched four kills and four block assists.
- Freshman opposite hitter Penelope Rivera recorded two kills, nine digs and a match-high seven block assists in her collegiate debut.
- St. Francis' defense led to offense as they totaled 20 block assists as a team. Rivera led the way with seven, senior middle block Danae Barkley finished with five, Vranic had four, Ng notched two, and Miljacic and Hernandez had one apiece.
Match 2: St. Francis Brooklyn – 1 | LIU – 3 (20-25, 20-25, 25-21, 17-25)
- LIU came away with the second match in four sets, much like it did in the opening match. LIU took the first two sets, but the Terriers were able to bounce back and push the match to a fourth set. St. Francis came up a little short of forcing a fifth and deciding set as the Sharks came away with the fourth, 25-17.
- After finishing a pair of kills shy of a double-double in the first match, Hernandez came through with a double-double in the second match as she recorded a team-high 11 kills and 13 digs over three sets. The junior hit .263 and notched a pair of service aces as she racked up 13 points in the match.
- Junior outside hitter Madison Monahan finished with eight kills, five digs, and four block assists in three sets of action. She totaled 10 points in her second match as a Terrier.
- Miljacic was near a double-double as she tallied seven kills and nine digs over four sets of play.
- Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Gonzalez was a force for the Terriers with six kills and four block assists. The six kills were a career-high for the sophomore.
- Ng had another strong match guiding the Terriers' offense. The setter dished out an early season-high 30 assists and picked up 13 digs over four sets.
- Rodriguez tallied a match-high 22 digs and handed out five assists for the Terriers. The libero is now just 11 assists shy of the 1,000-career dig mark as she has collected 989 digs in her career as a Terrier.
- Freshman libero/defensive specialist Angelina Wintonick saw action in all four sets and picked up seven digs.
- For the second match in a row, defense led to offense for the Terriers as the team collected a combine 17 block assists. Monahan, Gonzalez, and Vranic each registered four block assists apiece.
UP NEXT:
The Terriers are back in action on Tuesday, March 9, when they head to Teaneck, NJ to face Tri-state area foe Fairleigh Dickinson in a doubleheader that begins at 4 p.m. The doubleheader will broadcast on NECFrontRow.com.
