JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Kiki Lugo (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) delivered a career-best performance with 16 kills, leading the Gothic Knights to a commanding three-set victory (25-20, 25-18, 25-19) over the City College of New York (CCNY) on Saturday, October 5, at the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center.
Lugo hit .371 for the Gothic Knights (9-9) during her career-high match and also tallied 12 digs for 17 points. Keyanni Overstreet (Port Arthur, Texas/Sabine Pass) orchestrated the Gothic Knights' offense with a team-leading 30 assists, while Brianna Melanson (South Brunswick, N.J./South Brunswick) anchored the defense with two total blocks. Michelle Fernandez led the Beavers (1-9) with 10 kills, though she was held to a .026 hitting percentage, and Viviana Alatorre chipped in 21 assists for CCNY.
The opening set was tightly contested, with both teams trading points early. The Gothic Knights, however, found its rhythm, going on a 5-1 run to create separation. During that run, Lugo, Taylor Riccio (Nutley, N.J./Paramus Catholic), and Marina Millett (Matawan, N.J./Saint John Vianney) all tallied a kill during that stretch. NJCU continued to build off of that momentum and extended its lead to 23-16 behind an ace from Overstreet and four kills by Lugo during a 6-1 run. CCNY tallied three straight points during a small rally, however, an error ended their run and set the Gothic Knights up for a kill from Riccio to close out the set.
It was more of the same in the opening of the second set with both teams trading points early on. CCNY used several small runs to eventually take a 15-11 lead over the Gothic Knights. However, NJCU fought back, chipping away at the lead until they trailed by three. Three attacking errors by the Beavers sparked an 11-0 run by the Gothic Knights that would put them up in the match, 2-0.
In the third set, Melanson set the path for the Gothic Knights with a kill before Overstreet collected an ace from behind the stripe to put NJCU ahead, 2-0. CCNY brought themselves within two, 19-17, later in the set behind a 6-1 run. With CCNY surging, Lugo slammed the door closed on any comeback attempt with four kills to complete the sweep of their non-conference foes.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Thursday, October 10 when they host Brooklyn College at 7:00 p.m.
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