The Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team fell to Marist College 3-0 Wednesday night, in a rematch of last season’s MAAC semifinal match. This time however, the Red Foxes bested the Bobcats.
Despite many runs at a comeback, the Bobcats couldn’t get much offense going. As a team, they posted a .063 hitting percentage for the match.
Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Alechko shined in the match, tallying 14 kills.
“There is just a lot of technical things to figure out, and we need to teach them that,” Quinnipiac head coach Kris Czaplinski said.
Czaplinski also put some of the blame for the loss on the coaching staff.
“Our blocking fell apart and that’s something the coaching staff needs to do a better job on,” he said.
Quinnipiac travels to Fairfield on Saturday for a rematch of last season’s MAAC Championship match, which the Stags won 3-0.
Here are some takeaways from Wednesday’s match.
Plagued by Injury
Jen Coffey and Elizabeth Kloos were on the bench on Wednesday and both had walking boots on. Alongside Coffey and Kloos, junior Kat Miller was also out with an injury. The three upperclassmen are among the best hitters on the Quinnipiac team this season.
Although so far their absences have been short, the Bobcats head coach didn’t give any indication to when they could return to action.
“As of right now it’s just day-to-day, so that’s how we’re going to take it for right now,” Czaplinski said.
With the team facing Fairfield (6-0 MAAC) on Saturday, the loss of all three players could lead to major offensive problems for Quinnipiac.
“People need to step up, plain and simple,” Czaplinski said. “We’re here for a reason, and everyone just needs to follow the game plan like we have since day one.”
Underclassmen Shine
With this team consisting of predominantly underclassmen, this match was a great opportunity for freshmen to get some game time.
Given the upperclassmen injuries, freshmen Morgan Sherwin and Haley Anderson helped keep the game alive in late parts of the match.
“At one point there were all freshman and sophomores on the court, which was great to see for them,” Czaplinski said.
Sherwin posted seven kills and three digs in the match, while Anderson had four digs in key points in the third set.
