MATCH STATS
- VCU def. Duquesne 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21)
- VCU moves to 27-2, 13-0 Atlantic 10; Duquesne falls to 12-15, 7-6 A-10
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Attendance: 187
- Box Score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – VCU used 14 blocks to hold Duquesne to a .119 hitting effort in a four-set win on Sunday, which secured the Rams at least a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title.
Sophomore middle blocker Jasmin Sneed and junior middle Tori Baldwin notched seven stuffs apiece to lead VCU at the net and help the team to a 14-4 edge in blocks. Offensively, the Rams looked to sophomore opposite Gina Tuzzolo (14), sophomore outside Vicky Gimmarini (11) and senior outside Alica Kandler (10) to pace the team, each notching double-digit kills. Senior libero Rebekah Strange pulled up a team-best 21 digs, while Kandler rounded out a double-double with 17 digs and two aces.
Senior outside Molly Davet was the lone Duquesne player to reach double digits in kills, turning in 12 putaways to go with 16 digs. Six other players recorded five or more kills: freshman outside Maria Mosbacher (8), senior middle Abbie Trzeciak (7), sophomore setter Dani Suiter (7), junior middle Kori Johnson (6), senior middle Sydney Glover (6) and sophomore middle Liz Wayne (5). Junior libero Camryn Vecera registered 21 digs to top the Dukes in the backcourt. Redshirt freshman defensive specialist Claire Boe and Davet added 16 saves apiece.
Three Duke errors and a pair of kills by Kandler pushed VCU to an early 8-3 lead in Set 1. Duquesne rallied to tie things up at 10 with help from kills by four different players. The teams tied eight more times, last at 19, before the Rams stretch the margin to four at 23-19. A Tuzzolo kill made it set point at 24-21 and a stuff by Sneed capped the stanza.
The Rams carried the momentum into Set 2, jumping ahead 5-1 as Tuzzolo notched a pair of kills. Duquesne was within one at 8-7, but that sparked a 7-1 VCU run. Two Giommarini kill and two stuffs by Baldwin stretched the advantage to seven at 15-8. The Dukes would get no closer than four the rest of the way. A block by Baldwin and Tuzzolo put VCU on the hill at 24-16, but the set was far from over. Duquesne scored four straight, three on Ram errors, to keep the set going. Giommarini ended any thoughts of a further rally with a kill for the 25-20 win.
Duquesne hit at a .262 clip in Set 3, its best effort of the night, to stay alive in the match. The teams played to a 15-all tie, before the Dukes put together a 6-3 run to go up 21-18. Wayne put down three kills in the rally. A pair of miscues and a Tuzzolo kill pulled VCU within one at 22-21, but the Rams couldn’t get out of their own way, giving up two points on errors as Duquesne wrapped the set on a 3-0 run.
VCU rallied from down 5-2 in Set 4 to take a 9-7 lead. Kandler accounted for two kills and a block in the Ram surge. Momentum swung back to the Dukes, however, as the home side scored nine of the next 12 points to go up four at 16-12. Four VCU errors aided the Duquesne effort, while also included kills by four different players. The Rams countered with an 8-3 run, turning the deficit into a 20-19 lead of their own. Back-to-back stuffs by Sneed and Julie Adler capped the rally. After a tie at 20, VCU rolled to the 25-21 win, clinching it on another Adler putaway.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: VCU Athletics
Three VCU players provided double-digit kills, led by sophomore Gina Tuzzolo’s 14, as the Rams clinched at least a share of their first Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title Sunday. VCU has won 24 straight matches, the longest such streak in the country.
OPENING VOLLEY
- Tuzzolo hit .235 on the day and was party to four of VCU’s 14 blocks on the day.
- Sophomore Vicky Giommarini and senior Alica Kandler added 11 and 10 kills, respectively, for VCU. Kandler added 17 digs to register her third straight double-double.
- VCU’s blocking was dominant. The Rams’ starting middle blockers, junior Tori Baldwinand sophomore Jasmin Sneed, both recorded seven blocks apiece. They also combined for 14 kills.
- Meanwhile, senior libero Rebekah Strange and sophomore defensive specialist Madalon Simpson provided a combined 38 digs.
- Molly Davet spiked 12 kills for Duquesne.
THE DIFFERENCE
- VCU outblocked Duquesne 14-4, and the Rams limited the Dukes to a .119 hitting percentage on the day.
- While VCU surrendered just its third set in conference play in Sunday’s match, the Rams closed the book on Duquesne with an 8-2 burst in the fourth set. Trailing 19-17, a kill by Kandler, followed by back-to-back double blocks by Sneed and junior Julia Adler, gave the Rams a 20-19 advantage. They would not trail again.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- VCU’s 13 conference wins this season are the most in program history.
- The Rams’ 27 victories this year are tied (with the 2009 team) for VCU’s most since 1985.
- Baldwin’s 151 blocks this year are fifth-most in a single season in program history. Sneed is currently seventh on that list with 147. The program single-season record is 172.
- Baldwin has also moved into third on VCU’s career blocks list with 378. She trails only Ivana Rich (384) and Kelsie Clegg (434).
- VCU opponents are hitting .128 this season.
NEXT UP
VCU will conclude its regular season against Davidson at the E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.
Courtesy: Duquesne Athletics
Molly Davet, Abbie Trzeciak and Sydney Glover combined for 25 kills on Senior Day, but it was VCU that came away with a 3-1 victory on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The set scores were 25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21
• In addition to 12 kills, Davet had 16 digs
• Claire Boe recorded a career-high 16 digs
• Dani Suiter had a match-high 38 assists
STAT OF THE GAME
• VCU had 14 blocks
NEXT UP
• 11/10 at La Salle
Leave a Reply