BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Oct. 13, 2015) - On Tuesday night, the LIU Post volleyball team took the first of two meetings of the Battle of the Boulevard, defeating New York Institute of Technology, 3-1 (27-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-20), in East Coast Conference action at the Pratt Recreation Center.

The win improved the Pioneers to 16-5 overall and 4-2 in ECC play. It is the first time that LIU Post is 11 games over the .500 mark since 2013. That year, the green and gold were 25-10 and captured the NCAA Division II East Region title.

In the first set, LIU Post jumped out to a 9-3 lead, behind two kills from sophomore outside/middle/right-side hitter Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and a kill from freshman outside hitter Rachel Londot (Utica, Ohio).

However, NYIT (13-4, 3-3 ECC), which at one point trailed 18-11, rallied to force extra points. The Pioneers kept their composure though, as Londot put down another of her four kills in the opening set to win it, 27-25.

LIU Post then dropped the second set, before attacking at a .333 and .429 clip in the next two games to take the match in four sets.

Knotted at 12-12 in a third set that featured six tied scores and four lead changes, the Pioneers went on an 11-3 run to grab a 23-15 advantage. Valenza served two aces in that stretch, and added a kill, as well.

The green and gold eventually went on to a 25-17 third-set victory. Valenza, Londot and junior middle hitter Taryn McCullouch (Buena Park, Calif.) contributed three kills apiece in the game.

Holding a slight 7-6 edge in the fourth set, LIU Post went on an 11-3 burst to widen their cushion to 18-9, forcing an NYIT timeout. Senior setter/right-side hitter Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) had three kills in the streak. Valenza and freshman libero/defensive specialist/outside hitter Natalie Miller (Scottsdale, Ariz.) each served an ace.

That proved to be all the Pioneers needed, as they cruised to a 25-20 win to secure their sixth win in their last seven matches and 11th in their previous 13 contests.

Valenza recorded a match-high 16 kills on a .419 hitting percentage, in addition to five blocks. Londot tallied 13 kills and nine digs. Amador provided 10 kills and an .833 attack clip off the bench. Hansen contributed five kills and four blocks. Genna allocated a match-best 47 assists. She also collected seven digs and three service aces.

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and her LIU Post squad now begin a three-match road swing, starting Thursday (Oct. 15) in Dobbs Ferry at ECC foe Mercy College. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.