Waltham, Mass. - Victoria Cast put up a career-high 22 kills for Adelphi University volleyball Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't enough as the team fell to Bentley University, 3-2.
Cast was the lone player in double-figure kills as Katie Barry and
Megan Manierski split setting duties, accounting for 18 and 12 assists, respectively. Four players from the Falcons (19-9, 10-4 NE10) reached double-digit kills as Xio Lopp paced the attack with 45 assists.
Bentley stepped out to an early 8-3 lead in the opener which kept the visitors fighting to chip away at their deficit. A six-point run nearly double the home team lead, an advantage they were able to maintain to close out the first set by a 25-16 decision. The second set featured much of the same play by the hosts, only allowing Adelphi to rattle off four consecutive points as their longest run. They took a 2-0 advantage in the match, but the Panthers didn't let up easy.
In the third, the Brown and Gold turned around a four-point deficit to knot the frame at 17-all. Trailing by two, a block featuring Barry and Madison Canestrari sparked a five-point run that staved off the home team to stay alive in the match. Momentum quickly swung in favor of the visitors as timely hitting and Bentley miscues down the stretch evened the contest at 2-2.
The Falcons were responsible for forcing the switch of sides in the deciding set, after taking an 8-3 lead with the help of four different attackers. They continued to press, even on the opposite side to push out to a seven-point advantage. Adelphi ran off a 5-1 run but a ball-handling error on match point concluded the contest.
The Panthers sit in fourth in the conference standings at the conclusion of the regular season. They earn hosting duties for NE10 quarterfinal action scheduled for Tuesday, November 14. Adelphi will take on No. 5 Stonehill College at 7:00 p.m.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 25 regular season conference titles, 26 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.
For the latest on Adelphi University Athletics, follow the Panthers at
www.aupanthers.com or via social media on
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter,
YouTube, and Snapchat.
