Volleyball Falls at Home to Rivier

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) volleyball team fell at home to Rivier University (Rivier), 3-0, during Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Wednesday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. With the result, the Blue Jays fall to 1-13 on the season and 1-4 in GNAC play while the Raiders move to 7-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

KEY MOMENTS 

• USJ took a 3-1 lead to begin the match after a service ace from senior outside hitter Shannon Carey (Bayport, N.Y.), but the Raiders responded with a 3-0 run to take a 5-3 edge.
• With the Raiders leading 7-6, the Blue Jays exploded for a 8-0 stretch fueled by five aces from graduate student setter Nicole Albert (Meriden, Conn.) to establish a 14-7 lead.
• Rivier would fight back though, tying the match at 21-21, before ending the set on a 4-1 run to win the opening set, 25-22.
• USJ gained another early 3-1 edge after kills from freshman outside hitter Shaye Harris (Prospect, Conn.) and senior middle blocker Victoria Adler (Berlin, Conn.), but the visitors again retook the lead, 9-7.
• The Blue Jays tied the second set at 13-13 after a Rivier error, but the Raiders reestablished a three-point gap, 19-16.
• Senior libero Fernanda Ayala Rodriguez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) brought USJ back within one after a service ace, 19-18, but Rivier held off USJ for the remainder of the set, winning 25-20 to take a 2-0 edge in the match.
• The third set was a close battle at the start, as both teams played out a 6-6 tie.
• Junior outside hitter Rachel Heaney (Torrington, Conn.) would come up big, notching two kills to lead USJ to a three-point lead, 10-7.
• However, Rivier replied with a 9-2 stretch, establishing a 17-13 advantage.
• USJ would pull back within three, 19-16, after a kill from Carey, but the Raiders would not let USJ get any closer, winning the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-0.

NOTES 

• Heaney paced the team with five kills.
• Albert was lethal from the service line, recording five service aces.
• Ayala Rodriguez notched a team-high 15 digs on the night. 

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays head on the road for a GNAC tri-match at Lasell University on Saturday, September 30. USJ will first play Anna Maria College at 1:00 p.m. before playing the host Lasers at 3:00 p.m. inside the Lasell Athletic Center in Newton, Mass.

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