Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Mike Dalton
The Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team defeated Rider University on Sunday, Oct. 30, 3-1. The Bobcats have now won two straight and the regular season with a 9-3 home record.
“If you practice well, you’re going to play well. It seems like we’re doing that right now,” head coach Kris Czaplinski said.
Quinnipiac was able to carry its momentum over from the 3-0 sweep against Saint Peter’s on Saturday. At first, Quinnipiac and Rider were going back and forth points wise. Halfway through the first set, Quinnipiac started to break away, and it didn’t look back from there. The Bobcats won the first set 25-17.
The second set was similar to the first in its composition: a back-and-forth start before Quinnipiac broke away halfway through the set. The only difference was the score. This time the bobcats won the second set 25-19.
In the third set, Quinnipiac and Rider were neck and neck all the way through. Late into the set, Rider got two straight points to take a 22-21 lead. Rider ended up winning the third set 25-23, forcing a forth set. After the set ended, several Rider players jumped for joy, while the Quinnipiac team stood around in frustration.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats knew they still had the upper hand.
“We never lost our confidence,” freshman setter Maria Pansari said. “We just went into the fourth set with confidence, and the fact that we need to close out [Rider], and that’s exactly what we did,”
Pansari, who became the first player in program history to tally 1,000 assists in a single season, added another 56 assists against Rider. Even though this is a huge milestone in Pansari’s young collegiate career, she’s keeping a level head about it.
“It’s a huge honor, and I think the best thing is knowing that I couldn’t do it without the other people on my team,” Pansari said. “Just knowing that they made it possible for me to do that is the best feeling,”
In the fourth set, Rider put up another fight in an attempt to force a fifth. Despite the Broncs’ efforts, the Bobcats came out victorious, winning the fourth set 25-23.
“This was a huge win. We know we needed two last home game wins to propel us into next weekend, and into the tournament,” freshman outside hitter Natalie Alechko said.
Throughout the course of the game, the bobcats always seemed to be on the same page, whether they were winning or loosing.
“When we’re hitting, or whether we’re in the back row, or serving, everything has to be clicking together,” sophomore Kat Miller said.
The Bobcats will close out their regular season with a three game road trip. They play Niagara University on Saturday Nov. 5, and Canisius College on Sunday Nov. 6. Niagara beat Quinnipiac earlier in the season 3-2. Quinnipiac will close out its season playing the currently undefeated No. 1 seed, Fairfield University.
“The next three games are going to be huge to take that number two spot in the conference, and get a bye into the semi-finals,” Czaplinski said. “[Niagara] is also vying for the same spot we are in the conference. That’s going to be huge going into their home and getting a win. Then we got Canisius, and of course, the powerhouse, Fairfield.”
