RINDGE, N.H. – The LIU Post women's volleyball team split it's matches on the final day of the Raven First Serve Invitational, first falling 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-17) to the (RV) University of Tampa before bouncing back to overcome Wilmington University (Del.) 3-1 (15-25, 25-18, 29-27, 25-22) Saturday inside the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse.

The Pioneers sit at 3-1 after their first weekend of play under first year head coach Stephanie Sheehan.

Sophomore right side Lauren Kloos was named First Team All-Tournament. Throughout the Pioneers' four matches she finished with 34 kills, four total blocks and three digs.



Match Rewind vs. Wilmington (Del.)
Kills from senior Rachel Londot and senior Lea Brady propelled the Pioneers to a 6-5 lead early in the opening set, however from there it was all Wildcats. Leading 15-12, Wilmington used a 6-0 run to put the set out of reach and won it 25-15.

With LIU Post leading 7-6 early in the second set freshman Sara Mangan capitalized on an assist from senior Giulia Genna to propel the Pioneers on a 5-0 run, giving them a 12-6 lead from which they never looked back. LIU Post's biggest lead was eight after taking a 21-13 lead; a service ace from Londot on set point saw the Pioneers triumph 25-18.

Despite a kill from Londot on an assist from junior Kassie Akouri-Tejedor on the opening point of the third set, Wilmington jumped out to a 4-1 lead early and a lead as big as 10-5. While the Pioneers were able tie the score five times it was not until it was 23-23 that LIU Post took the lead on a Londot kill and held set point. Wilmington would bounce back and take a 25-24 lead but a kill from Mangan on an assist from Genna proved the Pioneers were not yet finished. With the score 27-27 a service error and attack error from the Wildcats saw LIU Post prevail 29-27. The Pioneers' .410 attacking percentage during the set was pivotal in earning victory. 

The fourth set was likewise tightly-contested with the Pioneers taking their first lead 6-5 on a Genna service ace. The Pioneers and Wildcats continued to trade leads then with the score tied 21-21 a Wildcat service error and a block assist by junior Lea Brady and Londot saw LIU Post take a two-point advantage that was enough to eventually secure the set in favor of the Pioneers. Akouri-Tejedor handed out assists to Londot and Kloos to end the set with a score of 25-22.

Top Performers



-          Londot finished with a match-high 16 kills on a .382 attacking percentage while adding eight digs, three assists, three block assists and two service aces
-          Akouri-Tejedor led the match in assists with 22 and also contributed seven digs and four kills on a .800 attacking percentage
-          Genna notched a double-double as she handed out 19 assists to go with 10 digs. She also added two service aces and on kill
-          Eckhardt tied for the game high in digs with 13 to go along with eight assists
-          Colombo also finished with a double-double that included 10 kills and 12 digs while also contributing three service aces
-          Kloos added nine kills and two block assists

Match Rewind vs. Tampa
The Pioneers took an early 2-0 lead thanks to a kill from Kloos and a service ace from Londot however this was the only time the score favored LIU Post as Tampa took the set 25-20.

Kills from Londot, Colombo and Kloos and a service ace from junior Allie Ahearne saw the second set begin as a back-and-forth battle as the scores were tied 5-5 in the early stages. The set ultimately belonged to the Spartans as they ended up prevailing 25-14.

LIU Post got off to a strong start in the third with a kill by freshman Kiora Ridgeway keying an early 5-1 lead. Tampa then fought back and the two squads continued to trade the lead; a Londot service ace put the Pioneers ahead 14-13 but it was the final time in the set the Pioneers would lead as Tampa ended up taking it 25-17.

Top Performers
-          Colombo had a team high six kills along with four digs and one assist
-          Akouri-Tejedor led the team in assists with 13 and also added seven digs and one kill
-           Londot finished with six kills and three service aces
-          Genna handed out 11 assists and had eight digs to go along with two kills

Up Next
LIU Post hosts the Long Island Invitational inside the Pratt Recreation Center on Sep. 1-2. On Sep. 1 the Pioneers host Le Moyne College (0-0) at 5:00 p.m. and Bloomfield College (0-2) at 7:00 p.m. On Sep. 2 the Green & Gold faces Assumption College (0-0) at 12:00 p.m. and Post University (0-0) at 4:00 p.m.