Flushing, N.Y. - Down, but not out: The Adelphi University volleyball team was stretched to five sets for just the second time this season on Thursday night in a non-conference tilt at local foe Queens College, but the Panthers rallied from 2-1 down for a thrilling 3-2 victory.
In the first five-setter between the two former NYCAC and East Coast Conference rivals since 2005,
Macarty McQueen tallied a career-high 19 kills and matched her all-time best with 14 digs to lead Adelphi (15-5) to its fifth straight win, and 11th in the last 12.
But she wasn't the only standout performer for the Brown and Gold:
Jamaya Harris tallied a team-high and season-high 16 digs, while
Lilyen McCarthy hit .344 to the tune of 14 kills, joining McQueen in double figures. Harris and McQueen were two of four Panthers with at least 10 digs.
Adelphi last lost a set against Queens in 2012, but the Panthers were seven points from losing to the Knights (10-7) for the first time in 15 years. Queens bounced back from losing the first set to claim the next two, impressively rallying from 21-18 behind and saving a set point to steal the third.
The Panthers also trailed 18-15 in the fourth, but a 10-2 run to finish the set kept them alive. A service error by Jayna Marie Lorenzo swung momentum back to AU, and despite the 'Cats only swinging for one kill amongst that 10 points, they were impressive elsewhere: Twice, McQueen chipped in a block assist to stuff Queens' attack, and Harris and
Jamie Yonker each hit an ace.
Buoyed by the momentum, Adelphi led by as much as five in the first-to-15 fifth set at 11-6, but
Sofia Pinzon, who played the last three sets off the bench for AU, gave the team a crucial spark late. The graduate student swung for just four kills in the match, but two came in the last four points of the fifth to push the Brown and Gold over the line to victory. Her first in the set gave Adelphi three match points at 14-11, and her second clinched the victory.
AU returns to Northeast-10 Conference play on Sunday, as it travels to Assumption College for a 1 p.m. road tilt bidding for a sixth straight win.
