BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU volleyball team fought hard at home in the Steinberg Wellness Center Saturday evening, but fell in a four-set battle with Bryant, 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22). With the loss, LIU moves to 7-13 overall, and 6-2 in Northeast Conference play, while Bryant improves to 12-13, and 7-2 in the NEC.

Senior Kora Schaberl led the Sharks with 20 kills, while junior Masa Zirojevic had 10. Senior Amanda Hubbard had 35 assists, while sophomore Anastasia Scott led the defense with 15 digs, and freshman Karolina Nova had 10 digs and three service aces.

The Bulldogs played the total team game, with three players in double digit kills and eight service aces as a squad. Bryant also had 24 blocks as a team, including eight by Alysa Wright.
 
The match was a battle throughout the evening. In the first set, LIU jumped out to a 4-2 lead, but Bryant would quickly come back and tie it up, using back to back service aces to take a 6-5 lead. The Sharks would eventually put together a run of their own to widen the lead to 12-10, but it didn't take long for the Bulldogs to come back and tie it up, 13-13. This time, however, LIU managed to retake the lead, using two straight kills from Schaberl to go back on top, 16-13. Again, Bryant would come back to tie it, and the two teams remained locked in a battle from there. LIU took a lead, 22-20, but Bryant called a timeout, rallied the troops, and tied it back up 22-22. The Bulldogs ended the set scoring five unanswered points, to take the first set win, 25-22.
 
Bryant rode that momentum into the second set, going up, 5-0 early on the Sharks, and leading from there. Down 16-10, LIU would start to make up the difference, and used a 4-0 rally to close the gap to 19-17, forcing the Bulldogs to call a timeout. LIU would eventually storm back and use a block by Kristina Mamic and Barbora Hoskova to tie the set up for the first time, 22-22. But two costly LIU errors would give Bryant set point, and they capitalized with a kill, taking the second set, 25-22, with a 2-0 match lead.
 
LIU got their momentum back midway through set number three. After a close start to the set, including being all tied up at 10-10, LIU would rattle off eight straight points in dominant fashion, including kills from Schaberl and Mamic, an ace from Nova and several Bryant errors. Though the Bulldogs would battle back to stay in the game, LIU rode the lead the rest of the set, and got on the board, winning set three, 25-16 to force a fourth set.
 
The visitors jumped out with a 6-1 lead in the fourth set, forcing LIU to call a timeout. The Sharks would start to get points on the board, but not before the Bulldogs would widen the lead to 10-5. But then LIU went on a tear again, scoring eight unanswered points to take a 13-10 lead. The Sharks led from there, until Bryant went on a run, scoring six straight points, including back-to-back service aces that put them up, 19-15. LIU called a timeout, and came out of the break to score six straight points of their own, going back on top, 21-19. But LIU couldn't rally after Bryant took the lead, 22-21. A kill from Schaberl would tie it up, 22-22, but costly errors late in the set would be the difference for the Sharks, as Bryant won the fourth set, 25-22, taking the match, 3-1.
 
Up next, LIU has a split weekend with the NEC's contingent from the Nutmeg State. The Sharks will host Central Connecticut State on Friday, October 25 at 6 p.m., before traveling to take on Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Saturday, October 25 at 5 p.m.