Garden City, N.Y. - Behind a game-high performance from
Sara Mandreja and double-digit kills through all three sets for the Adelphi University volleyball team, the Panthers took a three-set decision from Queens College Tuesday evening.
Mandreja led the pack with 12 kills and an impressive .550 hitting percentage, with just two errors on the night. All three setters played a set in the victory, with
Grace Wegmann notching 12 assists as
Katie Barry and
Courtney Crook both chipped in 10 apiece.
Katarina Warburton got things rolling for Adelphi (14-4) in the non-league contest with a seven-point serving run to start the first set. Queens (1-14) attempted to chip away at their deficit but another stretch of points from the home team capped with a solo block from
Madison Canestrari. With a ten-point advantage, the Panthers took seven of the final nine points to take a 25-10 set one decision.
Mixing up the starters in the second set, Barry took over the setting role and
Victoria Bailey made an appearance on the outside. The Brown and Gold trailed by two in the early going, however a serving run from Mandreja swung momentum in favor of the hosts, who turned it around to take a four-point lead.
Rebecca Seeba and
Amalia Saleh recorded time on the court as well, registering the last two points of the second to give Adelphi a 2-0 advantage in the match.
In the ultimately final set of the evening, Crook paced the AU offense to 10 kills and a .273 team hitting percentage, helping the overall number for the night stand at .333. With a new combination of players for the home team, the Knights managed to take advantage of Panther miscues and even hang on to get as close as two down the stretch. Canestrari notched the final kill of the game, as a service error and a final point awarded by the official handed them a 25-18 decision.
The team returns to non-league action on Saturday, October 6 when they host Chestnut Hill College at noon in the Center for Recreation and Sport. Due to a scheduling conflict, no video will be available for the contest.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 27 regular season conference titles, 29 tournament championships, 41 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.
