Quinnipiac University
Lafayette
QU Women's Volleyball Comes From Behind to Knock Off Lafayette, 3-2, In Season Opener
8/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
- 2014 Women's Volleyball Homepage
- 2014 Women's Volleyball Schedule/Results
- MAAC Women's Volleyball Homepage
- Hofstra Volleyball Homepage
- Box Score
Hampstead, N.Y.- The Quinnipiac women's volleyball team kicked off the 2014 season with an incredible come-from-behind victory over the Lafayette Leopards, 3-2, at the Hofstra Invitational. The Bobcats fell behind, early dropping the first two sets (25-20, 25-23) but battled back to take the final three sets (25-21, 25-14, 15-11) to win the match. The incredible comeback victory marks the first win for Quinnipiac in a season opener since joining the Division I ranks in 1998.
The Bobcats (1-0) were led by senior right side hitter Tanner Celestin's (Norco, Calif.) double-double as she tallied a career-high 15 kills to go along with 12 digs. With the young nucleus of talent on this Quinnipiac roster, look for Celestin's experience to be leaned on heavily as the Bobcats move forward.
Sophomore setter Emma Ogden (Crown Point, Ind.) picked up where she left off in 2013, when she established herself as one of the best table setters in the MAAC. With 33 assists, six digs, three service aces and three blocks in the match, including some crucial assists in the third and fourth sets, Ogden gave the Bobcats attack a much-needed lift.
The younger Bobcats continued to put their stamp on this game as the sophomore class was again represented well by libero Cody Michaels (Versailles, Ky.) who led the team with 15 digs and was a key cog all game long on the defensive end. Freshman middle hitter Elizabeth Kloos (Munster, Ind.) also made an impression in her first game as a Bobcat, tallying eight kills and six total blocks. Two more underclassmen in sophomore Katie Urycki (eight kills, seven digs) and freshman Nicole Milillo (nine digs, six service aces) helped in securing the come-from-behind victory.
Lafayette (0-1) entered the match with a 4-1 edge in the all-time series against Quinnipiac. Despite a strong outing by Lauren Pisauro (20 digs) and Jet Manzi (10 kills), the Bobcats avenged their 3-0 loss to Lafayette last year on Sept. 14th.
The turning point in the match came in the third set as the Bobcats trailed the Leopards by two sets and were losing in the third, 14-11. It was at this point that Quinnipiac seized control, reeling off five straight points, highlighted by two straight kills from Celestin and then senior Tierra Allen (Sumter, S.C.), who was playing in her first match since the 2012 season. The Leopards fought back to tie the third set, 17-17, but the Bobcats won eight of the final 12 points to take their first set, 25-21.
The momentum to close out the third carried over into the fourth set as the Bobcats led by as many as 11 points in claiming a 25-14 victory and sending this one into a deciding fifth set. Quinnipiac's defense, led by Ogden and sophomore Allison Leigh (Palmer, Alaska), was at its best in the fourth as the Bobcats combined for five blocks in the stanza.
After clawing their way back into the game, the Bobcats faced some stiff competition from Lafayette in the beginning of the fifth set, trailing 6-3 in the early going. But this young Bobcat group was not to be denied as they won five-straight points to take an 8-6 lead, one they would never relinquish. Allen closed out the Bobcats' comeback in resounding fashion with her fourth kill to finish off a 15-11 fifth set victory.
Quinnipiac will look to continue their hot start at the Hofstra Asics Invitational with a doubleheader tomorrow. The first game will be against the host Hofstra Pride at 12:30 and will conclude a 5:00 when the Bobcats take on the Saint Francis Brooklyn Terriers.
