Box Score vs. Gallaudet

Box Score vs. Lebanon Valley

Photo gallery (by Dan Ceccacci)

SCRANTON, Pa. - The University of Scranton volleyball team dropped a pair of matches in non-conference action on Saturday at the John Long Center, first falling in a five-set thriller to Gallaudet, then in three sets to Lebanon Valley.

With the losses, Scranton ends their 2015 regular season with a 25-11 overall record.

Before the LVC match, the program honored six seniors: Lizzy Zimmermann (Livingston, N.J./Livingston), Molly Loftus (Mount Carmel, Pa./Our Lady of Lourdes), Katherine Flanagan (Hatboro, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Rachael Cisto (Oxford, Conn./Sacred Heart Academy), Kim Marino (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) and Stephanie Klug (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood).

Gallaudet 3, Scranton 2 (25-16, 19-25, 23-25, 25-23, 10-15)

In their first match of the day, Scranton and Gallaudet played a back-and-forth affair that the visiting Bison were able to take in five sets.

In the opening set, Scranton coasted to a nine point victory, but Gallaudet was able to bounce back in the second and third sets to go up 2-1 on the Royals.

Facing a deficit in the fourth game, the Royals fought back and took a close set to keep the match going. In the set, Scranton scored the final two points of play, breaking open a game that was tied up at 23-all late.

Unfortunately, the momentum from the end of the fourth set did not carry over into the fifth and final game, as the Bison took an early 8-5 lead and never lost it in a five-point victory to take the match.

Overall, freshman Kristin Kirwan (Park Ridge, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) led the Royals on the attack in the defeat, posting 15 kills. Meanwhile, Zimmermann and Klug posted double-digit kills in the match, with Zimmermann posting 11 and Klug slamming home 10.

Junior setter Brittany Cafiero (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) went over 40 assists in the defeat posting 43, while also notching 11 digs. Fellow junior Danielle Cafiero (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) also had 13 digs on the back line for Scranton, as well.

Lebanon Valley 3, Scranton 0 (17-25, 22-25, 20-25)

In their final match of the regular season, the Royals has no answers for a relentless Lebanon Valley team, who pulled away from Scranton in each set in the middle of play and never looked back in a three-set victory.

Overall, Kirwan once again led the attack with 14 kills, while Cafiero ended the day with 25 assists. Marino collected 10 digs, while Kirwan and Klug each had three block-assists, apiece, in the defeat.

The University of Scranton volleyball team now heads to the Semifinals of the 2015 Landmark Conference Tournament on Wednesday as the number three seed. Then, the Royals will head to second-seeded Susquehanna, with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.

--ROYALS--