Memphis, Tenn. – Lynn University’s volleyball team kept its cool following a pair of deficits to take two matches on the opening day of the Christian Brothers Tournament. The Fighting Knights rallied from two sets down to top Kentucky Wesleyan 3-2 and overcame an opening set loss to take down the host Buccaneers.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lynn 3, Kentucky Wesleyan 2 (25-17, 24-26, 19-25, 25-13, 15-8), Lynn 3, Christian Brothers 1 (24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-17)
Records: Lynn (2-0), Ky. Wesleyan (0-2), Christian Brothers (1-1)
Location: Canale Arena | Memphis, Tenn.
Series History: First meeting vs. Kentucky Wesleyan | Lynn leads 4-2 all-time vs. Christian Brothers (last met in 2017)
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STATS OF THE MATCH:
- Match 1
- Lynn cruised through the first set, 25-17, before running into trouble in sets two and three, calling closely 26-24 and 25-19. The Blue and White returned to their first set form with a 25-13 win in the fourth set and taking the decisive set easily 15-8.
- In the Panthers to set wins, they hit .176 and .188, but Lynn held KWC to hitting clips of .026, -.091 and -.037 in its three wins. Overall Lynn hit .217 as a team and the Panthers hit at a .055 clip.
- Marine Kinna and Sonja Udovcic combined for 25 kills and 38 digs as the duo logged double-doubles. Udovcic’s 20 digs was a match-high.
- Lauren Odom joined her teammates in double-digit kills, logging eight on a team-best .381 hitting percentage. She added two solo blocks and three block assists.
- Freshman Melanie Cuervo and senior Biatriz Souza Berti shared quarterbacking duties for the office. Cuervo earned a match-best 21 assists with Berti close behind with 18.
- Victoria Macaluso logged eight kills with a .222 clip in her first match donning the Blue and White.
- Match 2
- Lynn hit just .059 in the first set but was narrowly defeated 26-24. The Fighting Knights proceeded to hit .571 and .405 to win the next two sets 25-11 and 25-18. A .062 hitting clip in the final set was overcome by stellar defense which held the Bucs to a -.182 hitting %.
- Macaluso led the Blue and White with 11 kills, followed by Udovcic with 10. Macaluso smacked an impressive .529 on 17 attacks.
- Kinna and Udovcic just missed on out double-doubles as Kinna logged nine kills and a team-high 11 digs while Udovcic had 10 kills and nine digs.
- Ruth Zijlstra added 10 digs in the effort.
- Berti led the offensive attack with 26 assists while Cuervo earned 13.
- Lynn’s defense held CBU to a .074 hitting clip through four sets.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- This is the first time Lynn has started 2-0 since 2015.
- Udovcic collected her 40th career double-double. She also moved into sixth-place all-time in Lynn history in total kills with 802
- Kinna’s 13 kills tied a career-high set in the 2018 season-opener. Her 18 digs are her fourth-most.
- Macaluso sat out all of the 2018 season.
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights are back in action with two matches against Maryville and Union at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time. Fans can keep up with live stats at LynnFightingKnights.com.
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