MADISON, N.J. (August 31, 2019) – The FDU volleyball team topped Gwynedd Mercy University in five sets before falling to Rutgers Newark in three in their season-opener Saturday afternoon.

FDU-Florham 3, Gwynedd Mercy 2 (25-21, 17-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-13)
The Devils grabbed an early lead, scoring eight of the first 12 points of the match. A service ace by junior Rebecca Morse extended the gap to six, but the visiting Griffins scored three straight points to trim the lead in half. The Griffins closed to within two, but junior Liz Moise and senior Nathalia Padron slammed home kills to give FDU a 23-18 lead. Gwynedd Mercy fought off two set points before Padron converted a set by sophomore Kacie Ros to clinch the opening frame for the Devils.

Back-to-back service aces by Padron in the second frame gave FDU a slight lead, but the Griffins were able to reel off four consecutive markers to take the lead over for good. As the Devils got within a pair at 18-16, the visitors finished the second set with seven of the final eight points to even the match at one-all.

The third set went back and forth, with neither side leading by more than two points until late in the frame and featured 12 tie scores and three different lead changes. With the team trailing 18-16, the Devils went on a 4-0 spurt with Morse serving. In the run, Morse carved up the Griffins defense for back-to-back aces and forced them into a timeout. They would get within two; however, rookie Sophia Miskulin pinned down consecutive sets from Ros to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.

The Devils trailed for all of the fourth set but attempted to get back in late in the frame. Down three at 22-19, the team forced a side-out thanks to an attack error before a solo block from junior Liz Moise cut the gap to a single point. The Devils could get no closer, as a kill ended the stanza to force a fifth and deciding set.

FDU found themselves in a 6-3 hole in the final stanza, but Moise got the Devils within one point thanks to a kill. The visitors notched three straight points to force the Devils into taking a timeout and talk things over. The timeout paid off, as consecutive attack errors coupled with a Moise kill leveled the period at 11. After trading four unforced errors, the Devils closed out the win with the senior Padron serving up an ace to clinch the match.

Rutgers-Newark 3, FDU-Florham 0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-21)
Much like the third set against Gwynedd Mercy, FDU and Rutgers Newark battled back and forth in the opening stanza. The opening frame featured eight tie scores and one lead change. The Devils pulled in front 9-8 before Rutgers-Newark took the lead back with three straight markers. FDU didn't go down quietly, battling back to even things at 16, 17, 18, 21, and 22 before the Scarlet Raiders closed the game out with the final three tallies.

Rutgers Newark went ahead by four at 12-8 in the second period, but a service ace from sophomore Kesha Patel tied things at 14. The Patel ace kick-started a 7-1 rally for the hosts, with Rutgers Newark taking their final timeout of the period. The visitors would record the next seven points to take the lead back, but the Devils fended off a set point on a kill from junior Jessica Garreffa to tie the contest at 24. Rutgers Newark quickly notched the final two points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Devils found themselves in an 8-2 hole in the third set but were able to claw back to 8-6 capped off with a Miskulin kill. Miskulin drew the Devils even thanks to a service ace, and the match would be tied at 11, 13, 14, and 15 before FDU took their first lead off an unforced hitting error. The Scarlet Raiders claimed the lead back for good, and a double-block ended the match in favor of the visitors.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ros and Padron posted double-doubles against Gwynedd Mercy. Ros had 35 assists and 26 digs, while Padron posted 21 digs and 12 kills.
• Moise recorded a career-high 14 kills in the win over Gwynedd Mercy. Her previous best came last year against Olivet when she had six kills.
• Morse contributed 40 digs against the Griffins, pacing five players with 12 or more digs.
• The Gwynedd Mercy match saw 27 different tie scores over the five frames.
• Padron recorded 15 kills against one error against the Scarlet Raiders.
• Garreffa narrowly missed a double-double in the second match, finishing with nine kills and 16 digs.
• Ros crossed over the 1,000 assist plateau in her career and has dished out 1,052 helpers over a year and two matches.
• Patel and Ros tied for the team lead with four aces spread across the two games.

UP NEXT
The Devils are back in action Wednesday, heading out to Williamsport, Pa. to take on Penn College at 7 p.m.