LOCATION: Christl Arena - West Point, N.Y.
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes showed fire in their first day of the season, but were ultimately unable to secure a win in both matches, Saturday.
GAME ONE
SCORE: Iowa 3, UAlbany 1 (25-18, 27-29, 25-16, 25-13)
RECORDS: UAlbany 0-1, 0-0 AE | Iowa 2-0, 0-0 Big 10
KEY STATS
- Junior outside hitter Pinar Erol led UAlbany with 13 kills.
- Freshman setter Addy Bianchini recorded 33 assists.
- Junior libero Kasia Barletta took charge on defense with 15 digs; Bianchini followed right behind with 12.
- Senior middle blocker Campbell Robinson and junior opposite hitter Nia Gibson led the Great Danes with three blocks each.
- Junior defensive specialist Kiki Provatas, Robinson, and Barletta each contributed one ace in the match.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UAlbany fell behind early as Iowa took the first five points. The team fought hard and earned a two-point difference with an 8-2 scoring run but Iowa still held the lead, 14-12.
- Despite the back-and-forth action, the Hawkeyes ended the set with a 4-1 scoring run to win, 25-18.
- UAlbany fought back in the second set and jumped out to a 10-5 lead.
- The second set turned into a nail-biter as the Great Danes went toe-to-toe against the Hawkeyes.
- UAlbany would take the second set in extra points, 29-27.
- Early on in the third set, UAlbany and Iowa played a close game exchanging points and reaching 10-10.
- The Hawkeyes took the lead quickly after, and won the third set, 25-16.
- Iowa sealed the match with a fourth-set win against the Great Danes, 25-13.
GAME TWO
SCORE: Sacred Heart 3, UAlbany 0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-22)
RECORDS: UAlbany 0-2, 0-0 AE | Sacred Heart 1-1, 0-0 Metro
KEY STATS
- Nia Gibson and Campbell Robinson led the team in blocks, putting up five each. Gibson tallied two on her own.
- Robinson led the team in kills with seven, and Pinar Erol earned five.
- Kasia Barletta recorded nine digs, and sophomore Sophie Burkey followed with six. Freshman defensive specialist Madison Kyle also picked up four digs.
- Senior setter Madison Hess led the Great Danes in assists with 13.
- As a team, the Great Danes recorded five aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sacred Heart opened the match strong and worked for a 12-5 lead.
- The Pioneers reached a double-digit lead, but UAlbany fought to cut the deficit to 22-15.
- Sacred Heart ultimately maintained their lead and took the first set, 25-16.
- In the second set, the Great Danes fought back and started with a 3-0 run.
- Sacred Heart surged into the lead, but not without a fight as UAlbany tied things up at 10-10.
- The Pioneers took the lead, but the Great Danes continued their fight as they were only three points behind at 23-20. Sacred Heart officially took the second set, 25-20.
- In the third set, UAlbany came back and took the lead, 16-15, with a four-point run.
- Exchanging points once more, the set became tied at 20-20.
- With the third set, Sacred Heart completed the sweep against UAlbany, 25-22.
NEXT: The Great Danes will finish out the Black Knight Invitational on Sunday (Aug. 30) against the host, Army, at 2:00 pm.
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