Firebirds Volleyball Rolls Past Queens, 3-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dist. Columbia (10-12, 4-7) | 27 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Queens (N.Y.) (3-19, 3-8) | 25 | 26 | 15 | 19 | 1 |
FLUSHING, NY – A team effort highlighted by several impressive individual performances led to a 3-1 (27-25, 24-26, 25-15, 25-19) victory for the University of the District of Columbia volleyball team over Queens College in East Coast Conference action Tuesday night at Fitzgerald Gym.
The Firebirds avenged an earlier, 3-0 loss to Queens at home this season back on September 25th as they won their second straight match and inched closer to .500 at 10-12 overall (4-7 ECC). The fourth conference win doubles their conference win total from a season ago. Queens fell to 3-19 overall and 3-8 in ECC play.
Freshman Jazmin Rogers (Mechanical Engineering – Tucson, AZ/Palo Verde HS) led three Firebirds with double-figure kills as she blasted 12 kills while hitting .344 for the night. She also was in double-figures for digs with 18 and added two service aces. Meanwhile, senior Vanessa Garley (Marketing – Rio Rancho, NM/Rio Rancho HS) notched a double-double as well which included 10 kills and 11 digs, and sophomore Ariana Scott (Business – Lakewood, CA/Mayfair HS) also added 10 kills.
Other key players for the Firebirds were sophomore setter Kamene Rose (Psychology – Chula Vista, CA/Hilltop HS) and senior libero Grace Perilli (Economics – Nashville, TN/Independence HS). Rose, who came in ranked 5th in the ECC for assists per-set, finished with 26 assists to go with four kills (.429 hitting), eight digs and one block. Perilli posted her second straight match of over 20 digs with a match-high 21 while also adding two kills.
Queens was led by Arielle Dicoco (19 kills, 11 digs), Suzanne Byrne (10 kills, 15 digs), Ceren Kilic (39 assists) and Xhesi Domi (17 digs). The Knights finished with two more kills (51-49) but hurt themselves with 30 errors compared to just 19 by District of Columbia.
The first set featured a battle to the finish as the two ECC foes collided for 12 ties and seven lead changes. District of Columbia jumped out to the largest lead of the set, 6-3 after a service ace by Garley, but the Knights came storming back on a 9-4 charge to take a 12-10 lead on a service ace by Kilic. The Knights led 14-13 when a kill by Garley sparked a 3-0 run to put the Firebirds up 16-14. Later, consecutive kills by Scott and Rogers once again gave the Firebirds a three-point cushion, 18-15, but a 5-2 Knights run led to a 20-19 Queens advantage. The Knights were one point away from closing out the set on two different occasions with leads of 24-23 and 25-24, but respective kills by Scott and junior Tara Usko (History – Spring Creek, NV/Spring Creek HS) forced two more ties and kept the Firebirds alive. With the score knotted at 25-all, a Queens attack error followed by a Rogers kill led to a 27-25 set one victory for District of Columbia.
The Knights had the hot start in set two as the host's took a 6-1 lead after a kill by Debbie Okeke, only to surrender the next four straight points and let the Firebirds pull within one on a kill by Usko. Queens would pull ahead by four on three separate occasions only to allow the Firebirds to go on a run and pull within a point each time. Trailing 22-20, the Firebirds went on a 3-0 run led by a kill apiece by Garley and Rogers and took their first lead of the set, 23-22. After a Queens timeout, the Knights regrouped to score the next two points to go up 24-23. They went on to win the set, 26-24 after two straight Firebirds attack errors and even the match, 1-1.
In set three, the Firebirds held a modest 6-4 early advantage before going on a 9-1 tear, and they never looked back. Scott led the way with three kills while Garley, Lynch and Rogers each added two. The Firebirds also took advantage of 11 Queens attack errors as they won handily, 25-15.
Led by the service of Rogers, the Firebirds scored the first four points of the fourth set and went on to build a 6-1 cushion early on. Queens responded by scoring 10 of the next 15 points to close within one (11-10) on a kill by Suzanne Byrne, but District of Columbia answered back with four straight points to widen the gap to 15-10. Queens never got any closer than three points as the Firebirds closed out the set and the match with a kill by Garley for the 25-19 set four win.
The Firebirds, who have won three of their last four matches, visit defending ECC champion Dowling College on Thursday, October 25th at 7 p.m.