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Volleyball Stumbles on Final Day of Florida Southern Classic

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LAKELAND, Fla. (Sept. 10, 2016) - The LIU Post volleyball team closed out play at the Florida Southern College/Terrace Hotel Classic Saturday with a 3-2 loss to Rollins College and 3-0 defeat to 23rd-ranked Florida Southern at Jenkins Field House.

LIU Post 2, Rollins 3 (25-20, 19-25, 25-18, 19-25, 8-15)
The Pioneers used a late surge to take the first set from the Tars (4-2). Holding a 17-16 lead, the green and gold tallied eight of the game's final 12 points to earn a 25-20 victory. Junior outside/middle/right-side hitter Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and sophomore setter Giulia Genna (Rome, Italy) each provided a pair of kills in the effort.

Rollins then took the second set, before LIU Post bounced back in the third. Tied at 15-all, the Pioneers ended the set on a 10-3 streak to win by a 25-18 decision. The green and gold took advantage of seven miscues by the Tars, while senior middle hitter Taryn McCullouch (Buena Park, Calif.) and sophomore outside hitter Rachel Londot (Utica, Ohio) had a kill apiece.

The two squads eventually played a fifth set to decide the match. Rollins used an 8-2 run in the game to pull away for a 15-8 win.

For the contest, Valenza put down a team-high 17 kills and added seven digs. Freshman middle/right-side hitter Lea Brady (Woodbridge, Va.) posted nine kills on a .261 attack clip. Junior libero/setter Indira Rojas (Coamo, Puerto Rico) amassed 23 digs. Genna dished out 23 assists and registered four kills.

LIU Post 0, No. 23 Florida Southern (21-25, 20-25, 17-25)
Despite hitting .308 and .250 in the opening two sets, the Pioneers (2-4) fell short in a three-set duel versus the Mocs (5-1). Valenza, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, finished with a double-double (13 kills, 11 digs) in the loss. McCullouch and Brady both notched five kills. Genna and freshman setter Kassie Akouri-Tejedor (North Miami Beach, Fla.) allocated 14 and 11 assists, respectively.

Florida Southern got a six-kill performance in the first set from junior outside hitter Anna Tovo (Aiken, S.C.), en route to a 25-21 victory.

In the second set, LIU Post rallied from an early 9-3 deficit to even the game at 20-all. However, the Mocs tallied the last five points of the set to secure a 25-20 win.

Knotted at 11-all in the third set, Florida Southern used a 6-0 run to widen the gap to 17-11 and never looked back in a 25-17 triumph.

Head Coach Amanda Ostapow and the Pioneers return to action next Saturday (Sept. 17), when they travel to Rindge, N.H. for a 1 p.m. first serve at Franklin Pierce University.
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