LORETTO, PA.  — The LIU women's volleyball will be heading back to Brooklyn knocking on the door of first place in the NEC.
 
The Sharks defeated Saint Francis U in three sets (26-24, 25-18, 25-23) for their second sweep in as many days. The win gives LIU a 3-1 conference record, putting them in second place just behind Sacred Heart.
 
In the first set, things could have been very different as the Sharks were up against set point down 24-21. After head coach Amable Martinez called a timeout, the Sharks woke up at rattled off five unanswered points to grab a big early win.
 
From there, the LIU momentum was just too much for the Red Flash as the Sharks dominated the second set and came away with a close victory in the third to seal the match.
 
"We are proud of the way the team performed today," assistant coach Daniel Altamar said. "It was great to see the hard work we've been putting in during practice translate onto the court these past two days."
 
Camelia Melendez and Amaris Smith combined for 26 kills with Melendez recording a fantastic hitting percentage of .429 (14 kills on 28 attempts).

Alasha Colon tallied 22 digs in the match, bringing her NEC leading total to 350. Melendez was second in digs with eight while Smith and Indira Benitez each recorded six.

Selina Koç led the Sharks in assists with 30 which now puts her over 400 for the season at 415.


The Sharks scored six service aces as a team. Benitez recorded a season-high three while Koç had two and Melendez tallied one.
 
"This is a tough road trip and for our girls to come home with two conference sweeps says a lot about the focus level of our team," Altamar said.
 
The Sharks play next on Saturday Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. when they travel to Farleigh Dickinson. The match will be streamed on NEC Front Row.