District of Columbia Volleyball Rally Falls Short on Senior Day; Firebirds Fall 3-1 to RWC
WASHINGTON, DC – With seniors Vanessa Garley and Grace Perilli playing their final game at UDC Gym on Sunday afternoon, the University of the District of Columbia volleyball team rallied for a third set win after falling behind 2-0, but East Coast Conference foe Roberts Wesleyan went on to clinch a 3-1 (25-14, 25-15, 15-25, 25-21) victory with a win in the fourth set.
Garley (Marketing – Rio Rancho, NM/Rio Rancho HS) and Perilli (Economics – Nashville, TN/Independence HS) were honored in a ceremony during a brief intermission between the first and second sets. Both were instrumental in helping the Firebirds (12-14, 5-9 ECC) already surpass their season win total from last year with two more matches remaining.
Roberts Wesleyan, playing in their first season as a member of the ECC, improved to 14-10 overall and 9-4 in league play. The Redhawks featured three players with double-figure kills, including Alexa Antoni who had a match-high 11. Judy Schultz and Jordan Wilson each added 10 apiece as well. Olivia Zureck led RWC's defensive efforts with a match-high 17 digs.
The Firebirds were led by junior Tara Usko (History – Spring Creek, NV/Spring Creek HS) with 10 kills, five digs and one block. Sophomore Ariana Scott (Business – Lakewood, CA/Mayfair HS) added nine kills, junior Julia Lynch (Studio Art – Spring Creek, NV/Spring Creek HS) pitched in with eight, and Garley and freshman Jazmin Rogers (Mechanical Engineering – Tucson, AZ/Palo Verde) had seven apiece. Garley also led the team with 15 digs while Perilli recorded 13 and sophomore Kamene Rose (Psychology – Chula Vista, CA/Hilltop HS) had 12.
RWC hit a blistering .417 in the first set as the Redhawks blasted 18 kills to the Firebirds' nine in the first set. After falling behind 10-4 early on, the Firebirds rallied to score four of the next five points and pull within three, 11-8. But the Redhawks soared to a 11-4 run to go up 22-12, and they went on to win by their largest margin, 25-14 and take a 1-0 match lead.
The second set featured a back-and-forth battle early on, but with Roberts Wesleyan ahead 8-7, the Redhawks went on an 8-2 charge to go up 16-9 after a kill by Antoni. A 16-11 deficit is as close as the Firebirds would get, as Roberts Wesleyan scored the final two points to win 25-15 and claim a 2-0 match lead.
District of Columbia showed no quit down 2-0 as the Firebirds broke an early 4-4 deadlock with an 8-3 run to take a 12-7 lead courtesy of a kill by Lynch. Still leading 13-10 after a kill by RWC's Antoni, the Firebirds used a 5-1 surge to take control of the set with a 19-11 advantage. They went on to win by their largest margin of the set, 25-15 after game point was scored on a kill by Rogers.
In the fourth set, Roberts Wesleyan broke open a 5-5 tie with a 9-2 run to go up 14-7. The Firebirds closed the gap to three (18-15) after scoring eight of the next 12 points, but the Redhawks answered with a 5-2 rally to go up 23-17. One final last burst by the Firebirds had them score four of the next five points and once again close within three (24-21), but a Jordan Wilson kill sealed the 25-21 set four win and the match.
The Firebirds go on the road to play their final two matches of the season at LIU Post (November 8th, 7 p.m.) and Bridgeport (November 9th, 6 p.m.).