Volleyball Posts 3-1 Victory Over Previously Unbeaten Florida Atlantic

(Box Score -Texas A&M -CC)
(Box Score - Florida Atlantic)

09/30/05 -- Senior Lizelle Jackson (Palmdale, Calif.) pounded 22 kills and added 19 digs to lift Long Island to a 3-1 victory (30-28, 21-30, 30-20, 30-27) over Florida Atlantic at Schwartz Center in the nightcap of the first day of action in the Courtyard by Marriott LIU Classic.

Senior Jade Gold (Jupiter, Fla.) registered 14 kils and graduate student Ivana Vasiljevic (Brcko, Bosnia & Herzegovina) closed with 42 assists to help the Blackbirds (8-10) upend the previously-unbeaten Owls.

Florida Atlantic (15-1) was paced by Kelly Paiva (19 kills, 15 digs) and Justine Petry (17 kills).

With the first game knotted at 28-28, Jackson delivered two emphatic kills to capture the first game. The Owls led the second game from the on-set, building as much a seven-point cushion. LIU pulled to 26-21 on a service ace from Alexis Reed (Burtonsville, Md.) but could get no closer.

Holding onto a slim 15-13 margin in game three, the Blackbirds erupted for nine straight points to build a comfortable lead. FAU committed five errors during the span as LIU pushed to a 2-1 lead in the match.

The fourth match was the most thrilling for the Schwartz Center crowd, featuring 10 lead changes and 15 ties. A key block and kill from Gold and the closing kill from Martina Wagner gave the Blackbirds the 30-27 triumph to close the match.

Earlier in the day, LIU defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3-2 (30-24, 26-30, 30-27, 23-30, 15-10). Five Blackbirds posted double-digit kill efforts led by Jackson’s 22.

In other first-day action, Northern Colorado improved its tournament record to 2-0 with three-game victories over Texas A&M-CC and Iona. The Bears were led by Amanda Wiggins, who had 12 kills in each of the two wins and Lizzy Rhoads, who tallied 17 kills on 26 attempts over two matches for a red-hot .577 hitting percentage.

Prior to dropping the nightcap to LIU, Florida Atlantic moved its unbeaten streak to 15 with a 3-0 victory over Iona. Kelly Paiva, ranked fifth in the NCAA in kills per game coming into the contest, continued her solid season for the Owls with a double-double (16 kills, 15 digs).