Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
SCRANTON, Pa. – The University of Scranton volleyball team opened their 2015 campaign on the right note on Tuesday night, besting Wilkes (3-1) and host Marywood (3-0) in a pair of matches inside Insalaco Arena on the Marywood campus.
Scranton 3, Wilkes 1 (25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20)
In the first match of the evening against Wilkes, the Royals came out on fire in the first set, coasting to a 12-point victory after opening up a decisive 18-8 lead in the middle of the set.
Things got more interesting for the Royals in the second set, but a 5-1 run in the middle portion of action gave Scranton a decisive 20-16 lead that Wilkes could not come back from. With the win, Scranton entered the third set up 2-0.
There, Wilkes extended the match out with a two-point victory over the Royals. But, in the fourth set, Scranton put away Wilkes after crawling back from an early deficit. After tying the set up at 16-all, the Royals ended play with a 9-4 rally, as they opened the season with a hard fought victory over the Colonels.
Overall in the win, senior Lizzy Zimmermann (Livingston, N.J./Livingston) led the Royal attack with a match-high 13 kills (Zimmerman was the only player from either team to record double-digit kills on the night). Junior setter Brittany Cafiero (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) finished with a match-high 29 assists, while on defense, junior libero Danielle Cafiero (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial finished with 16 digs.
Scranton 3, Marywood 0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-14)
Following the Wilkes victory, the Royals made quick work of host Marywood in three sets to move to 2-0 on the year.
In the opening set, Scranton trailed just once (0-1), opening up an insurmountable 17-9 lead early and never looking back in a 10-point first set win. The second set was much more competitive, as Marywood held a 17-13 lead over the Royals entering the final stages of the set.
But, here, Scranton took back control of play, going on a 12-3 run to end the match, taking a five-point victory to open a 2-0 lead over the host Pacers.
The third and final set was reminiscent of the opening one, as the Royals ended the match on an 11-2 run to coast to a three-set victory on the road.
Overall in the Marywood victory, senior outside hitter Molly Loftus (Mount Carmel, Pa./Our Lady of Lourdes) led the Royal attack with nine kills, while Zimmerman and junior Bailey Woods (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) led the defense with eight digs, apiece.
The University of Scranton volleyball team returns to action on Friday, hosting the first day of the 2015 Scranton Invitational at the John Long Center. The Royals open play in the invite at 2:30 p.m., taking on Oswego State, before ending the day at 8:30 p.m. with a match against Anna Maria.
--ROYALS--
