Sept. 11, 2010

Final Stats

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- A late rally by the Navy volleyball team fell short as the Midshipmen dropped a five-set match to Boston College Saturday afternoon in Smithfield, R.I. The 25-17, 15-25, 20-25, 25-13, 15-12 loss for the Mids was the second of the day for Navy at the Bryant Invitational. Earlier in the day the Mids suffered a 25-21, 26-24, 25-18 loss to Manhattan.

Boston College (5-4) and Navy (3-7) played point-for-point with each other through the early part of the first set. The Eagles held a slim 17-16 lead before going on a 4-0 run to separate themselves from the Mids and eventually winning the set.

Navy flew out of the gate to start the second set and quickly built a 15-7 advantage. The Mids would soon take a 10-point lead at 22-12 thanks to Navy hitting .176 in the set and holding the Eagles to a mark of .000.

The Mids held a slim lead through the majority of the third set before the Eagles closed to within one point at 21-20. Navy would end the set and take a 2-1 lead by scoring the ensuing four points, three of which were tallied on kills from Erin Fortner (Fr., Villa Hills, Ky.). Navy held a .400-.270 advantage in hitting percentage in the third set.

Boston College quickly took control of the fourth set by scoring 10 of the frame's first 14 points. The Eagles hit a sizzling .407 in the set while holding Navy to a mark of .000 to send the match to a deciding fifth set.

The Eagles held a narrow 7-6 lead before going on a 5-1 run to take a 12-8 advantage in the set that is played only up to 15 points. Navy chipped away at the deficit and soon pulled to within one point at 13-12. Boston College would record kills to end the next two plays and the two-plus hour match.

Boston College held advantages over Navy in kills (61-51), attack percentage (.256-.220), digs (71-64) and blocks (14.5-9.0).

Individually, Boston College's Dureva Tsvetelina led all players with 22 kills, while Maida Kalic' (Jr., Vernon, N.Y.) led Navy with 11 kills. Defensively, Navy's Holly Berger grabbed a match-best 22 digs on the afternoon, with Ndidi Ibe (So., North Richland Hills, Texas) adding nine blocks.

"Our play in the sets we won against Boston College were the best we have played all season," said Navy head coach Mike Schwob. "We have to be able to reach that level of play for an entire match. It was our first five-set match of the year, and even though we lost I think we can take a lot from it."

Navy's first match of the day saw Manhattan (2-5) use late runs in each of the three sets to defeat the Midshipmen (3-6).

The first set was tied at 19-19 before a Manhattan kill and a Navy attack error gave the Jaspers a 21-19 lead. The teams traded each of the next three points to give Manhattan a 22-21 lead, then a Navy service error boosted the cushion for the Jaspers back to a pair of points (23-21). A Navy attack error and a kill by Manhattan closed out the scoring.

Navy held a slim lead over Manhattan in the second until the very end of the frame. The Mids led by three points at 21-18 before taking a 24-22 lead. A kill by Manhattan's Alexa Lampasona sliced the margin in half, then an attack error by Navy's Ibe tied the score at 24-24. Lampasona posted another kill to give the Jaspers their very first lead of the set, then she set Jaci Rahey for a kill to give Manhattan a 2-0 lead in sets.

Manhattan held an 18-17 lead late in the third set when the Jaspers went on a 4-0 run to build a 22-17 advantage. After a Manhattan service error, the Jaspers scored the next three points to finish out the match.

Manhattan knocked down 47 kills and hit .315 in the match, while holding Navy to 32 kills and an attack percentage of .118. Navy held a 5-2 advantage over Manhattan in service aces, with the Jaspers tallying 8.0 team blocks to 5.0 for the Mids.

Fortner led Navy in kills and 10, while Berger hauled in a match-high 15 digs. On the other side of the net, Diane Strutner and Jaci Rahey totaled 14 and 13 kills, respectively, for the Manhattan offense.

"In a close set, you have to be able to keep putting points on the board," said Schwob. "Even giving up back-to-back points is too much at that part of the set."

Fortner was selected to the all-tournament team at the Bryant Invitational. It was the second straight week in which she has garnered all-tournament honors. In three matches this weekend, Fortner led Navy in kills (24), assists (41) and service aces (4), while finishing second among non-defensive players in digs (21).

Navy will next be in action Tuesday when the Mids play at Morgan State.