DURHAM, N.C. – The LIU women's volleyball team opened up play at the Duke Invitational Friday, taking on Cornell and host Duke. The Sharks opened the day with a tough match against the Big Red, falling 26-24, 25-23, 25-23. LIU capped the night with a 3-0 loss to the Blue Devils, 25-12, 25-22, 25-19.
 
SHARK BITES: LIU vs. CORNELL

• Set one saw the score tied nine times. LIU led by as many as four points, 15-11 and 16-12. The Sharks also had set point, 24-22, before Cornell won four straight points to end it, 26-24.
• The second set was just as close. Cornell built up a seven point lead, 20-13, before the Sharks went on an 8-1 run to tie it up, 21-21. The Big Red ended set two on a block, 25-23. Cornell had eight blocks in the match.
• In set three, neither team was able to build up a lead of more than three points. LIU had the advantage late, 19-16, and then again, 22-20, but Cornell ended the set on a 5-1 run to take the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-0.
• While Cornell out-blocked LIU, the Sharks had a combined 10 service aces in the contest.
• Senior Jovana Stekovic had 14 kills and nine digs. Sophomore Ainsley Malis had 27 assists, while Anastasia Scott had 22 digs.

 
SHARK BITES: LIU vs. DUKE

• The host Blue Devils opened the first set on a 7-1 run, and led from there. The Sharks, down 22-8 late in the set, would put together a late rally, scoring four unanswered points, but the Duke lead was too big to overcome, and they took set one, 25-12.
• Set two was much closer. The Sharks would go up early, 4-2 on a kill from Barbora Hoskova, and the rest of the set stayed close. A kill from freshman Rumur Rouille gave LIU a 9-6 lead, and the Sharks continued to lead from there. Down 12-9, Duke would rally, scoring four straight points to retake the lead, but the Sharks didn't back down, and kills from Stekovic would give LIU the lead twice more. The Sharks continued to battle to the end of the set, when the home team ultimately prevailed, 25-22 to take the 2-0 lead.
• Set three saw LIU go up 6-3, on kills from Stekovic and freshman Celine Mukura, but a 5-0 run by Duke make it 10-7. The home team would widen the lead to 19-11, before the Sharks scored five straight to close the lead to 19-16. LIU would score points late, but the home team finished the set with a kill, 25-19, taking the match win, 3-0.
• Stekovic finished with 14 kills, while Rouille had five blocks. Scott had 16 digs and Malis had 14 assists in the second match of the day.

 
Up next, LIU takes on NCCU in their final match of the weekend, Saturday, September 18 at 12 p.m.