CALDWELL, N.J. – Junior libero Nelly Diaz (Land O Lakes, Fla.) and sophomore right side hitter Militza De Hostos (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) both established new career highs on Wednesday evening, helping the Concordia College New York women's volleyball team force a fifth set against host Caldwell University behind a fourth-set comeback before falling in the deciding game of a 3-2 (25-16, 21-25, 25-12, 22-25, 15-9) Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) decision.
NOTES
• Concordia falls to 3-6, 3-6 in CACC play.
• Caldwell improves to 8-13, 6-3 in league action.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Diaz boasted 25 digs with a personal-best three service aces.
• De Hostos (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) recorded her eighth double-double of the season behind a team-best 17 assists alongside 12 digs to go with eight kills on a team-best .227 clip.
• Freshman middle blocker Madison Gardner (Oak Hills, Calif.) led the offense behind nine kills with three assisted blocks.
• Senior outside hitter Camila Rabassa (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico) boasted one solo block and two assisted.
• For Caldwell, Elise Smith recorded 21 kills with 12 digs and five service aces while Sophie Hicks dished out 26 assists with 12 digs and Humiko Stormer tallied 18 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• After exchanging the opening 26 points of the first set, Caldwell used a 10-1 run to boast a 23-14 advantage. Concordia ended the run with back-to-back points, but an equal retort by the host ended the frame.
• Trailing midway through the second set 15-14, Concordia scored six-consecutive points to boast a 20-15 lead. Caldwell used a 6-2 stretch to cut the deficit down to one at 22-21, but a 3-0 run to end the stanza evened the overall score.
• Concordia scored the initial two points of the third set, only for a 12-4 stretch by the Cougars creating a 12-6 score. The host created a double-digit separation at 19-9 and kept the deficit at nine or higher for the remainder of the set.
• The Clippers overcame a late 9-1 run by Caldwell that gave the host a 20-16 lead with an 8-0 spree that created set point at 24-20. Caldwell ended the run with back-to-back points, only for a Concordia kill forcing a fifth set.
• Caldwell took seven of the initial 10 points of the fifth set to take an early 7-2 lead. Concordia scored three-straight points to get within two at 7-5, but a 3-0 response by the host created a 10-5 score with Caldwell holding a lead of four or more for the remainder of the contest.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Concordia finished the match with 38 kills on a .057 hitting percentage versus 60 on a .176 clip for Caldwell.
• Caldwell held a 79-71 advantage in digs.
• Concordia served five aces, the Cougars served nine.
• Concordia recorded one solo block with eight assisted for five total while Caldwell had two solo and eight assisted for six total.
UP NEXT
The volleyball team kicks off the athletic department's 2019 Homecoming Weekend schedule on Friday, Oct. 18 against Wilmington University (Del.) with first serve set for 5 p.m.
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