EASTON, Pa. -- After falling to Providence 3-0 (16-25, 18-25, 20-25) on day two of the Crosstown Tournament, the Lafayette volleyball team bounced back to defeat Saint Peter's 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-13) on Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center.
Lafayette now has a 15-7 overall record in the Crosstown Tournament that dates back to 2008.
After splitting the two games on the afternoon, Lafayette volleyball head coach Terri Dadio Campbell was pleased with the performance of her team.
"I am glad that we came out with two wins this weekend," Dadio Campbell stated. "Our serving definitely improved from our first game of the season and it was a key part to our success."
GAME 1: Lafayette 0, Providence 3
The morning started off for the Leopards with a game against Providence and the Friars looked sharp en route to their fourth victory of the season. Allison Impellizeri was successful on 10 of her 14 attacks for a .714 attack percentage.
The Lafayette attack was led by Sonia Musso, who totaled 10 kills on the morning and added six digs. Freshman Julia Howard was responsible for handling the primary setting responsibilities after an injury to Maria Balus in last night's tournament opener against FDU. Howard stepped up and had 24 assists.
"Julia did an exceptional job of handling the full setting responsibilities on short notice," head coach Terri Dadio Campbell said. "She was put in a tight spot, but rose to the occasion and set up her teammates well. She really helped us be very successful throughout the tournament."
Five of the first six points in the opening set of the first game were made by Musso and senior captain Jet Manzi. Following three straight kills by Musso and an attack error by a Providence player, Lafayette trailed by just two points. However, the Friars responded by going on a 10-4 run to close out the set.
The Leopards jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the second set after Tori Smith connected on three attacks. The Friars jumped right back in control though with a 12-2 run. As the Friars continued to efficiently put points on the board, the Leopards were only able to cut the deficit to five before Providence took the second set.
Providence carried their momentum into the third set. A 10-2 run helped the Friars build their lead and they were able to hold onto it for most of the set until the Leopards caught fire. Lafayette's 7-1 run was sparked by a pair of errors on the Friars and a kill by Kelly Flynn. On the run, junior Katie Kidder racked up a pair of aces and the Leopards trailed 20-19.
The Friars managed to ward off the Leopards late run though and grab the 3-0 victory.
"Providence was a very tough team to play against," Dadio Campbell said. "However, it was a great opportunity for our girls to see the level of play that they need to be at come league play."
GAME 2: Lafayette 3, Saint Peter's 0
A few hours after the loss to Providence, the Leopards returned to the court for their final match of the Crosstown Tournament against Saint Peter's. Katrina Ruggiero and Smith each tallied a team-high nine kills against the Peacocks.
Meanwhile, Howard recorded 34 assists and Kidder came away with 12 digs.
Four of the first nine points for the Leopards came off of errors committed by the Peacocks. Lafayette led 12-5, but Saint Peter's slowly started to chip into the deficit and after two Marlena Bunda kills, the Leopards lead was trimmed to three.
The Leopards got in a groove after that and went on a 10-2 run to close out the set that was started by a Ruggiero kill and capped off by an attacking error on the Peacocks.
In the second set, Lafayette took the first two points but then the Peacocks began to find a rhythm offensively. The Leopards called a timeout, trailing 13-8 and the team was quickly rewarded back-to-back points on errors by the Peacocks.
It was a 16-12 game in favor of Saint Peter's before Carly Kutschke got to serve. With the ball in her hand to start the volley, the Leopards rattled off five consecutive points to take a one-point lead.
The two teams traded points for a few volleys before a pair of kills by Ruggiero and Kutschke sealed the deal for Lafayette.
Lafayette will be back on the court on next weekend to partake in the Penn Tournament, where they will face George Mason, Howard and host school Penn.
Crosstown Tournament All-Tournament Team
Carolina Ruiz, Saint Peter's
Carly O'Sullivan, FDU
Katie Kidder, Lafayette
Emily Develle, Lehigh
Allison Impellizeri, Providence
Michelle Cruz, Providence
