College Volleyball
Fairleigh Dickinson University 3, Rider University 1
Lafayette Invitational
EASTON, Pa.--The Rider University volleyball team put on a strong effort, winning the first set before losing to Fairleigh Dickinson University 3-1 on Friday in the opening match of the Lafayette Invitational.
"It was a tough match today," said head coach Christopher Feliciano. "We had momentum after winning the first set but FDU made some defensive adjustments and did a great job stopping our attacks. Their adjustments really limited us in what we could do."
The Knights (2-2) won 18-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-20.
Junior co-captain Brittany Gajewski (Whitehouse Station/Hunterdon Central Regional) had 21 digs with freshman Kayla Wong (Tustin, Calif./Arnold O. Beckman) adding 12 kills and nine digs.
Freshman Shelbie Stannard (Alvin, Texas/Alvin) had 13 digs with junior Briana Wallace (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) compiling 10 kills for the Broncs.
Rider and FDU last met on October 24, 2007 when the Broncs won 3-2 ( 21-30,30-28,31-29,24-30,16-14). The Broncs have won 22 of the 38 matches all-time against the Knights in a series that started in 1977.
After beginning the season 1-0, Rider has lost three straight.
"We played better than we did Wednesday night (a 3-0 loss to Lehigh)," Feliciano said. "We battled but FDU is a scrappy team and seemingly got to everything, picking up every ball we hit. It was a hard fought match and we have to continue to work hard and get better."
The Broncs face the host Leopards and Saint Peter's on Saturday in the final day of the tournament.
"We have to play better than we did today," Feliciano said about the two matches coming up on Saturday. "Both have good programs, good coaching, good players. It will be interesting to see how our team reacts to having two matches back to back."
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