Bobcats win NEC Home Opener, 3-2
By: Giovanni Mio, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac Bobcats won a very close game against St. Francis (N.Y.) three sets to two at Burt Kahn Court in Hamden.
The Bobcats played slow out of the gates. After a few kills from Terriers junior outside hitter Marina Georgieva and a couple of Quinnipiac net violations, the Bobcats found themselves down 4-0 to start the game. They scored their first point off of a St. Francis unforced error. After back and forth action Quinnipiac took a 14-13 lead off of a kill by junior Taylor Payne (Warwick, N.Y.). The Bobcats then went on an 11-2 run to end the first set, winning 25-15. This was the first time Quinnipiac won their first set of a game since their game against La Salle on September 9th.
The second set was back and forth in the beginning. There were four lead changes to start off the set. This last lead change would be in favor of Quinnipiac, and they wouldn’t look back. During a 14-14 tie, Bobcats sophomore Bonnie Conklin got a kill to give Quinnipiac the lead. The Bobcats ended the second set on another 11-2 run to take it by a score of 25-16.
“We were playing pretty steady, we were keeping balls in play, we made them make the mistake,” said Bobcats senior Kelby Carey (Surfside Colony,Calif.).
“I think we were playing with freedom the first two sets,” said Quinnipiac head coach Robin Sparks. “We were relaxed, we were playing well, we were doing what we talked about, and that was what really was important.”
The third set started off the same way it did in the second, back and forth scoring from both teams. The Bobcats had a shot to win in straight sets, would have been the first sweep since September 18th, 2010 against Lafayette . After a St. Francis miscommunication, the score was 14-11 Terriers. Unforced errors played a huge role in the downfall of the Bocats in the set. They committed three straight to give the Terriers the lead and momentum at 17-11. The St. Francis duo of Georgieva and junior Naomi Flinders helped the Terriers win the third set 25-18.
The fourth set was a battle to the end. At one point, the Bobcats found themselves losing to St. Francis 20-13. After Quinnipiac overhit a kill, making it 22-17, the Bobcats scored five straight to tie the game. The game would go into extra scoring since you have to win by two to win the set. After a Georgieva fault tied the game at 27, the Bobcats caused two straight unforced errors, costing them the set 29-27. After the match was tied at 2 sets a piece they would enter the fifth and decisive set.
“You know it’s hard because you know they’re coming back strong, you know they want to win, “ said Carey. “But then you just have to mentally out-tough them and say ‘we want to win more.’”
In the final set, the Bobcats and Terriers would have to play to 15. The Bobcats came flying out the gate with a 6-0 early lead. The motivation turned after a kill by Georgieva and before you knew it, St. Francis took a 7-6. After a missed spike opportunity by sophomore Olivia Grattan (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the Bobcats were on the verge of losing the game, trailing 14-10. The tides turned when Terriers junior Amanda Rojas faulted the game-winning serve. The Bobcats would then score five straight points after this to win the set and game 16-14.
“I think we panicked a little bit and pressed too hard instead of letting it flow again,” said coach Sparks. “I think they put a little pressure on themselves…we play a lot better when we don’t think.”
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