NEWARK, N.J. (October 20, 2018) – The FDU-Florham volleyball team picked up 3-0 wins over Rutgers-Newark and John Jay Saturday afternoon.
FDU improves to 13-17 with wins, and will close out the regular season on Wednesday, hosting Eastern at 7 p.m. The Devils will honor seniors Lauren Harris, Marissa Lehnert and Katie Quinlan in a pregame ceremony.
FDU-FLORHAM 3, RUTGERS-NEWARK 0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-16)
With the score tied at five in the opening, the Devils used a 5-0 rally to take over thanks to strong serving from Lehnert. A double-block by Quinlan and freshman Kacie Ros stretched the lead to nine at 20-11 but RU-N scored four straight to get back to within four at 23-19. Lehnert slammed home a kill and a ball-handling error gave FDU the 1-0 lead.
The Scarlet Raiders notched four of five points to jump in front 12-11 midway through set two, but the Devils reeled off five straight, forcing RU-N into a timeout. Sophomore Rebecca Morse served up four straight to put FDU back up six, however the Scarlet Raiders clawed back to within one. After staving off one set point, a service error handed the frame to the Devils.
FDU notched the opening four points of the final stanza, but allowed Rutgers-Newark to get to within one after a 3-0 run. Lehnert anchored a 5-0 rally, aided by a trio of unforced errors by the hosts. The Scarlet Raiders would get as close as six, but FDU closed the match with four of the final five points. The match ended with a tandem block from Lehnert and sophomore Liz Moise.
Harris had 11 kills and 15 digs, as Morse notched 14 digs from her libero spot. Moise and Lehnert each recorded three block assists in the win.
FDU-FLORHAM 3, JOHN JAY 0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-22)
The Bloodhounds were in front 7-5, but the Devils notched five straight markers, including back-to-back service aces from junior Nathalia Padron. A Harris kill sent John Jay into a timeout, which helped them get to within three points. Seven of the next 10 points fell to FDU and Padron pinned down a Ros set to end set one.
Harris served 10 straight points to help FDU build a commanding 11-1 lead in the second stanza. The Bloodhounds climbed all the way back, cutting the deficit to two after a service ace. Six of the next nine points helped FDU gain a comfortable lead, and a Quinlan kill brought up set point. John Jay fended off one set point before an unforced error gave the set to FDU.
The Bloodhounds took a 14-10 lead in the final frame before the Devils used a 6-1 run to take the lead. John Jay briefly regained the lead, but a Morse service ace closed out a 4-0 run to extend the lead to three. The Bloodhounds got to within two points, but the final two points were unforced errors to help FDU complete the sweep.
Harris and Padron combined for 22 kills and digs, with Ros dishing out 35 assists over three sets.
