EVANSTON, Ill. — The Long Island University women's volleyball team earned its first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating Virginia Tech in four sets at the Northwestern Invitational.
"I'm proud of the way we competed today," Director of Volleyball Tony Trifonov said. "This was a great opportunity to measure how we can perform against a talented team, and we answered the call. Now, we look to build off this win as we wrap up non-conference play."
LIU never trailed in the first set, as a kill by senior Sara van Gisteren put the Sharks ahead early. Holding an 18-14 lead late in the set, the Sharks scored on seven of the final nine rallies to take a 1-0 lead in the match, claiming the first set by a score of 25-16.
While the Hokies won a back-and-forth second set 25-23, the Sharks responded by taking a 10-3 lead early in Sunday's third frame, aided by kills from junior Mia Rojas-Avila, senior Yasmeen Muhammad, junior Bella Correia, and van Gisteren. Virginia Tech cut the lead to two points late in the set, but late kills by junior Sara Garcia and van Gisteren capped off a 25-20 LIU set win, putting the Sharks ahead 2-1 in the match.
LIU claimed another early lead to begin the final set, as a service ace by Garcia and four Virginia Tech miscues put the Sharks ahead 5-1. Both sides traded scores throughout the set, as LIU found itself tied at 20 late in the fourth frame. Following a Virginia Tech point, van Gisteren recorded kills on five of the final six rallies to seal the 25-22 set win, giving the Sharks a 3-1 win over the Hokies.
van Gisteren paced LIU in both kills (23) and digs (17), setting a new high mark in digs as a Shark. Muhammad and Correia each finished with 11 kills — season-high marks in kills for the LIU trio. Additionally, Correia (13) and junior Reese Teves (11) each finished with double-digit digs. van Gisteren led LIU with seven total blocks, two solo, while Muhammad finished the match with five total blocks.
Sunday's win marks LIU's first win over a Power 4 opponent since the 2014 season, when the Sharks bested the University of Alabama 3-2 in a neutral site matchup on Sept. 6, 2014.
LIU returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 19, taking on Duke University at 2 p.m. at the Butler Invitational in Indianapolis, Indiana.
