Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
SCRANTON, Pa. - The University of Scranton volleyball team swept past Keystone to start the day off on Saturday inside the John Long Center, then looked even stronger against Lycoming, as the Royals captured another match in straight sets over the Warriors to conclude their weekend.
With the victories, the Royals continue their great play on the year, as they move to a Landmark Conference-best 17-1 overall entering conference action next weekend.
Scranton 3, Keystone 0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-19) | Box Score
In their opening contest of the day, Scranton rallied late in each set against a primed Keystone team to clinch their 10th three-set victory of the 2017 season to date.
The closest game of the three played came in the second set, after Scranton rolled to a 25-17 win in the opening frame. Leading only 22-20 late in the game, the Royals pulled away, three of the final five points of play to clinch a three-point win and a 2-0 lead in the contest.
In the third set, Scranton started slow, as Keystone opened a 13-7 lead on the Royals early. But, Scranton rallied back, scoring 10 points in a row to go up 17-13 in the game, and never looked back, coasting down the stretch for a six-point victory in the third set to take the match in a sweep.
Overall, sophomore Victoria Capogna (Farmingdale, N.Y./St. Anthony's) and junior Kristin Kirwan (Park Ridge, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) each had nine kills on the attack for the Royals in the Keystone match (Capogna hit .538 in the victory). The Royals attack was set up all match by freshman Kindler Norman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair), who finished with 30 assists, while on defense, freshman libero Regina Schetroma (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) had 14 digs to lead the way.
Scranton 3, Lycoming 0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-21) | Box Score
In their final match of the weekend, Scranton made quick work of visiting Lycoming, besting the Warriors in straight sets for the second straight season.
After absolutely dominating play in a 25-9 win in the first set, Scranton clung to a 16-15 lead in the middle of the second set over Lycoming. There, the Royals ended the game strong to go up 2-0, as a 9-2 spurt game Scranton a 25-17 win.
It was another tight game in the third set, as Lycoming battled back from a 13-2 deficit to tie the game up at 19-all late. But, Scranton extinguished the comeback bid quickly, as a fast 4-1 run put the Royals up for good in the set at 23-20. From there, the Royals scored two of the final three points of the set to take the game and end the match in three sets.
Overall, Kirwan was dominant on the attack in the victory, finishing with 19 kills, marking the eighth time in a game that Kirwan has gone into double-figures in kills in a match. Kirwan also now has smashed 1,081 kills for her career, which puts her eighth all-time in the category in program history.
Elsewhere, Norman once again was impressive setting up the Royals attack, finishing with 35 assists, while on defense, Schetroma led the way with 13 digs.
The University of Scranton volleyball team returns to action on Tuesday evening, as they host SUNY-Oneonta in their final non-conference match before leaping into Landmark Conference play next weekend. First serve at the John Long Center is set for 6 p.m.
--ROYALS--
