Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Lafayette began the final day of the Friar Classic with its second victory over Saint Peter's in the last eight days, with 13 kills from Brianne Giangiobbe helping the Leopards to a 25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 25-20 four-set win.

Matched up with host Providence in the night cap, the visitors battled for three tight sets, but ultimately came up short in all three, with the Friars emerging with set victories of 25-20, 25-23 and 28-26. Lafayette will take a 5-3 record into next weekend's Lafayette Invitational at Kirby Sports Center.

The Leopards, having previously defeated Saint Peter's last Friday in five sets, dispatched of the Peacocks in timelier fashion this afternoon. They quickly jumped out to a commanding 17-4 advantage in the opener, winning five straight points on the serve of Tori Smith and another six straight with Sarah Moult on the service line. After a brief rally by Saint Peter's (1-5), Katherine Stevens capped off the set with one of her six kills in the match.

Lafayette took control early in the second set as well, with back-to-back kills from Elizabeth Walsh capping off a 16-5 run to begin the set. Maria Balus gave the Maroon and White a 2-0 advantage with a kill at 24-19. The Leopards led by as many as four points twice in the third set, but the Peacocks took their first lead at 20-19 and eventually forced an extra set on a Lafayette attack error.

The teams were tied at 17-17 in the fourth set before the Leopards won eight of the final 11 points to avoid their fifth-straight five-set match. Giangiobbe, whose kill ended the match, was the lone player to reach double figures in that category. Lauren Pisauro supplied 21 digs defensively, while Jet Manzi (13), Balus (12), Smith (11) and Moult (10) also cracked double digits.

"It was good to be able to come back a week later and beat the same team again," head coach Terri Dadio Campbell said. "It was nice to play a mix of players and get them more match experience."

Giangiobbe, who represented the Maroon and White on the All-Tournament Team, again led the way with 11 kills against the Friars (7-4), but Lafayette did not have quite enough in the closing stages of sets against the tournament hosts.

"It was a very solid match for us," Campbell said of the Providence matchup. "We executed well and put up a solid block throughout the match. We had our chances in sets two and three. It was a very intense match and will certainly help to prepare us for the Patriot League."

The Leopards had a 17-13 edge in the second set, and after falling behind 23-20, an ace by Manzi capped off three straight points for the visitors to level things up at 23-23. The Friars, though, grabbed the next two points to take a two-set lead.

Lafayette again started strong in the following set, winning six straight points on Smith's serve and taking a 14-6 advantage after a kill from Stevens. Providence fought back to move ahead 24-23 before kills from Giangiobbe and Stevens gave the Leopards their lone set point. The Friars responded with two-straight points, and an Allison Impellizeri ace closed things out at 28-26.

Pisauro added 17 more digs, while Manzi (13) and Smith (11) matched their dig totals from the Saint Peter's contest.

The Leopards begin next weekend's home tournament with a 5 p.m. matchup against St. Francis Brooklyn on Friday.