WEST POINT, New York – The Marist volleyball team (3-3) lost a non-conference matchup to its local rival Army West Point (4-3) on Sept. 5. Set scores were 25-16, 25-19, 25-17. Tonight's loss was the first time Marist was shut out in its last eight matches dating back to last season.
Turning Points:
Five straight points from Army West Point gave the Black Knights a 9-4 cushion in the opening set. Marist could not recover from its unforced errors as a 5-1 Black Knights' run made it 15-7 and the host team took the first frame by nine points.
Both teams struck with service aces early in the second stanza and neither side led by more than three for most of the set. Marist went on a 5-1 scoring spree with the help of a trio of kills by sophomore
Nikki DeSerpa and jumped in front 11-9. The Black Knights regained the lead however, scoring five of the last seven points to put the Red Foxes in a 2-0 hole in the match.
Senior
Kelsey Ediger tied the final set at six with a service ace before Army West Point ripped off five consecutive points to give them the 11-6 edge. Marist would get within three points but ultimately fell in straight sets.
Inside the Numbers:
- Army West Point senior Vanessa Wesley (four) and Marist's Nikki Deserpa (seven) combined for 11 kills in the first set.
- DeSerpa led the Red Foxes with 13 kills and nine digs.
- Junior Taylor van der Biezen finished one dig shy of a double-double, tallying 17 assists and nine digs.
- Playing some time at the libero position, freshman Jocelyn Gorman dove for eight digs.
- Army West Point led in kills (47-31) and outhit Marist .392 to .135.
Next Up:
Marist will compete in the Art Carmichael Invitational on Sept. 8 and 9 in Kingston, Rhode Island. The Red Foxes will play the host Rams at 11 a.m. Friday and face Columbia at 4 p.m. that same day. Marist's weekend will wrap up on Saturday when it squares off against Northeastern at 4 p.m.
