PHILADELPHIA — The LIU women's volleyball team is Sharks on its way back to Brooklyn to prepare for the Grand Canyon University Invitational in Phoenix.
 
LIU battled through hard-fought matches in a Saturday doubleheader, but fell to Iona (26-24, 25-17, 25-20) and Temple (25-23, 25-11, 25-18) to conclude the Sharks' stay at the Cherry & White Challenge.
 
"Overall, our effort was there," coach Amable Martinez said. "It was tough playing two matches back-to-back, but that's part of the process that we're going through right now."
 
Celine Mukura had another nice day, racking up a combined 14 kills and five blocks in both games.
 
Camelia Melendez, a St. Francis Brooklyn transfer, added 14 more kills to the stat sheet and looked impressive throughout the day.
 
Selina Koç continued to lead the Sharks in assists, adding on 27 to her season total.
 
Alasha Colon once again was one of the best Sharks on the court, tallying 31 digs in both games. Colon was named to the Cherry & White Challenge all-tournament team and is now just six digs away from 1,000 in her collegiate career.
 
Freshmen Indira Benitez and Bella Austin both made their collegiate debuts in the match against Iona this afternoon.
 
"We came out in the first set against Temple and played well. We just couldn't close it out," Martinez said. "It's growing pains and it's trying to figure out how to generate offense and close out sets. That's part of what we have to work on this week to get ready for our next tournament."
 
LIU's next game will be against host Grand Canyon on Friday and will be streamed on ESPN+.