FLUSHING, N.Y. (Oct. 18, 2014) - Senior middle blocker Heather Adams (Centerville, Ohio) tallied a match-high nine kills Saturday to lift the LIU Post volleyball team to a 3-0 shutout of Queens in East Coast Conference action at the Auxiliary Gym.

In addition to her nine-kill performance, Adams pitched in seven digs and three blocks. Junior middle/right-side hitter Analise Austin (Honolulu, Hawaii) registered eight kills, seven digs and three blocks. Freshman middle blocker/outside hitter Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and freshman middle blocker Heather Ball (Gilbert, Ariz.) added seven kills apiece. Ball also collected five digs, five blocks and two aces.

Tied 12-12 in the first set, the Pioneers (13-10, 8-3 ECC), who led 10-6 earlier in the game, scored six of the next eight points to grab an 18-14 advantage. Austin registered two kills in the spurt, both off passes from junior setter Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas). Amador finished with a match-high 35 assists.

The Knights (8-10, 3-7 ECC) fought back, however, and closed the gap to 19-18 on an Arielle DiCocco (Blue Point, N.Y.) kill, forcing an LIU Post timeout. The green and gold held on though, scoring six of the set's final seven points to win it, 25-20. A service ace by junior libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii) gave the visitors a 1-0 edge in the match. It was the first of two Ringor aces on the afternoon, to go along with 17 digs.

In a tightly-contested second set, which featured eight tied scores and three lead changes, the Knights rallied back from a 19-15 deficit, and took the Pioneers to extra points. LIU Post led 25-24, and was one point away from boasting a 2-0 lead in the match, but Else Buchmiller (Sacramento, Calif.) kept the game alive with a kill after a Queens timeout. Yet, it was still the Pioneers that came out on top, as a Valenza kill and Adams block secured the 27-25 victory.

Knotted at 4-all in the third and eventual final set, the visitors rolled off a 7-2 run to go in front, 11-6. Valenza slammed down two kills in the burst. Junior middle hitter Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had a kill and a block.

That proved to be all the green and gold needed, as they built as much as a seven-point cushion (15-8) in the game, while Queens only closed the gap to as few as four points the rest of the way.

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and her LIU Post squad return to action Tuesday (Oct. 21), when they battle ECC rival Dowling in Oakdale, N.Y. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.