Rockville Centre, N.Y. (Nov. 18, 2017) – In a heart-stopping five-set thriller, the Molloy volleyball team brought home the program's first-ever East Coast Conference Championship, defeating the third-seeded Bears of New York Institute of Technology, 3-2. Redshirt sophomore Carly Banks led all players with 19 kills and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The tone was set in the opening set, which saw the score be tied on 14 occasions until the teams were knotted at 23-23. Sophomore Devon Hagerstrom broke the tie for the final time of the set to bring the Lions to set point, 24-23 before a block from freshman Kacey Affrunti gave Molloy the 1-0 advantage.
NYIT thundered ahead in the second set, 8-1. The Bears' dominance continued as they took a 10 point, 18-8 advantage. Molloy refused to quit, however, and slowly chipped away at the lead until the home team trailed by just two points, 22-19. Two kills apiece from Hagerstrom and sophomore Hailey Wehr helped to knot the score at 24, but errors from the Lions gave the second set to the Bears.
Molloy responded early in set three, jumping out to a 9-2 lead. This time, it would be NYIT who chipped into the advantage, coming within two- 22-19. Freshman Emily Meyer and Affrunti tallied two kills each to help the Lions take the set.
The maroon and white trailed the entirety of the fourth set, eventually falling after a five-set rally to end the set in favor of the Bears.
Playing to 15, Molloy went up 10-6 in the deciding set. The Bears would come within two, 11-9, before Banks fired off three straight kills to set Molloy at match point, 14-9. NYIT continued to fight, taking the next two points before a service error ended the bout and sent Quealy Gymnasium into a thunderous applause as the Lions celebrated.
Wehr and Affrunti joined Banks in double-digits, tallying 13 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore Sophia Smith added a double-double, totaling 41 assists with 21 digs. Senior Dakota O'Neill led the contest with 33 digs while Meyer and junior Meaghan Carr chipped in with 18 and 12, respectively.
Molloy's victory earned them an automatic spot in the NCAA East Regional Tournament. The maroon and white will await the Selection Show on Monday (Nov. 20) at 7:30 p.m. to determine who they will face in the opening round.
Provided by the Molloy Sports Information Department.
