Women's Volleyball Takes Down Fitchburg State in Straight Sets, 3-0, Thursday

• The opening set saw the Blue Jays and Falcons trade points back and forth, playing out a 5-5 tie. USJ however would quickly gain a two-point lead, 7-5, after a service ace by FSU, followed by a kill from senior Hannah Benson (Terryville, Conn.). 

• FSU would tie the opening set again at 7-7, but a quick 3-0 run, featuring a Benson ace and a kill from Carey regained the lead for USJ. 

• The host Falcons continued to fight back though, gaining an 18-15 lead. The Blue Jays would not be deterred, responding with an 8-0 stretch to take a commanding 23-18 edge. The stretch utilized a balanced attack by USJ, as the visitors picked up points from Benson, seniors Nicole Albert (Meriden, Conn.) and Sarah Haire (Vernon, Conn.) and junior Victoria Isokpehi (Lagos, Nigeria). 

• FSU would not go away easy, pulling back within one late, 23-22, but a costly error followed by a decisive kill from Carey gave the Blue Jays the opening set, 25-22. 

• Entering the second set, the Falcons would gain an early 6-4 lead. However, USJ mustered a prompt 7-1 run, retaking the lead, 11-7, forcing an FSU timeout. Carey and junior Victoria Adler (Berlin, Conn.) paced the run with two kills each. Out of the timeout, USJ continued to roll, extending the lead to 13-7 following back-to- back aces from freshman Alexandra Long (East Hartford, Conn.) 

• The Falcons would try and get back into the second set, using a 6-2 run to pull within two, 15-13. However, USJ responded in kind, as a 6-1 stretch, featuring two aces and a kill by Benson, increased USJ's advantage to seven, 21-14. 

• FSU would get within three points late, 21-18, but would not get any closer as kills by Adler and Carey secured the second set for USJ, 25-20, giving the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the match. 

• USJ came out on fire to start the third set, taking a 7-3 lead. The Falcons tried to get themselves back into the third set, cutting the gap to three, 7-4, but the Blue Jays exploded for a 7-1 stretch, to establish a nine-point edge, 14-5. 

• The Blue Jays extended the gap to double-digits 17-7 after a kill from junior Katina Nanos (Lebanon, Conn.), but FSU clawed back within six, 17-11, after a 4-0 run. However, the Blue Jays would one-up the hosts, forcing four errors during the span of a 6-0 stretch, to take a 23-11 advantage. 

• Benson and Isokpehi would go on to secure the final two points, giving the USJ the set, 25-12, and the match, 3-0. 

QUOTABLE 

"Victoria (Isokpehi) had a great outing tonight and our setters did an excellent job running our offense. Having some momentum going into a tough weekend is great," said head coach Sheila Gisbrecht.  

NOTES 

• The victory snapped the Blue Jay's 10-match losing streak. 

• Carey paced the offense with 11 kills, posting an outstanding .476 hitting percentage. 

• The outing marked the 14th time this season that Carey posted double-figures in kills. 

• Adler and Benson trailed closely behind, notching seven kills each. 

• Albert was the primary playmaker, dishing out a team-high 15 assists, while Long tallied 13. 

• Senior Natalia Rabassa (Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico) was a force defensively, recording 16 digs. Tonight marked the 11th consecutive match that Rabassa tallied 10 or more digs. 

• Isokpehi was a menace at the net, tallying five blocks on the night. The tally is the most by a Blue Jay in a single game this season. 

• As a team, the Blue Jays outhit the Falcons, 24.5% to 0.00%. 

• USJ extended its winning streak over the Flacons to four matches, taking a 4-0 lead in the all-time series. 

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