Farmingdale State - 3, Merchant Marine - 1 (25-23, 20-25, 27-25, 25-20)
Farmingdale State - 3, St. Joseph's-LI - 2 (13-25, 25-9, 21-25, 25-14, 18-16)
Kings Point, N.Y. - In a Skyline Conference women's volleyball tri-match at Merchant Marine on Saturday, Farmingdale State opened with a 3-1 victory over the Mariners and followed with a thrilling 3-2 win against St. Joseph's-LI.
In the match versus Merchant Marine (10-6, 4-1), the Rams (9-6, 5-1) were led by freshman setter Julia Hande (Islip, N.Y.) who had a game-high 14 kills to go along with 16 assists, 11 digs, three aces and three blocks. Sophomore setter Lauren Anne Strezenec (Merrick, N.Y.) tallied 16 assists and 15 digs, while junior defensive specialist Stephanie Etersque (Deer Park, N.Y.) had 15 digs and three aces.
Junior outside Dominique Pope (Silver Spring, Md.) and junior right side Kayla Gleason (Sound Beach, N.Y.) each totaled a team-high 12 kills for the Mariners.
Tied 15-15 in the fifth and deciding set against St. Joseph's-LI, the Golden Eagles (4-13, 1-3) used a kill from freshman middle Dana Moeller (Center Moriches, N.Y.) to take a one-point lead. FSC answered with a Hande kill to again tie the match, 16-16. Sophomore outside Annie Cosgrave (Bay Shore, N.Y.) followed with back-to-back kills for the Rams as Farmingdale State earned an 18-16 victory in the final set.
Hande recorded a career-high 21 kills and added 14 assists, while Strezenec had a team-leading 26 assists. Cosgrave finished with 12 kills, 17 digs and two blocks in the win.
The FSC women's volleyball team next will travel to William Paterson for a non-conference match on Tuesday, October 11th at 7:00 p.m.
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