Volleyball Season Ends in First Round of NCAA Tournament with 3-0 Loss to Penn State

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12/1/06 --The Long Island University volleyball team saw its season come to a close on Friday evening as Penn State defeated the Blackbirds, 3-0 (30-16, 30-27, 30-15).

Junior Shelby Heggie (Laramie, Wyo.) led LIU with eight kills on .261 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Dunja Milin (Pula, Croatia) also added 22 assists.

The Blackbirds got off to a good start in game one, as two kills by junior Toni Perhat (Porec, Croatia) gave the squad an early 3-1 advantage. The match would remain close through the first 16 points until Penn State opened up a 12-8 lead with four consecutive points in the middle of the game.

A kill by Martina Racic (Pula, Croatia) would pull Long Island to within three at 15-12, but a 10-1 run by the Nittany Lions would help seal the opening game, 30-16. Megan Hodge led a balanced attack for PSU with four kills as the team hit .680 for the game compared to LIU’s .121.

Penn State continued its impressive play in the second stanza, reeling off the first three points to take the 3-0 lead. But LIU would hang tough behind the serving of Perhat to score three straight points to tie the game at 5-5.

Down 22-15, the Blackbirds would go on a 4-1 run to get back into the game. Three consecutive points, capped by an ace by Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia) would draw Long Island to within two at 27-25. Following a timeout by Penn State, the two squads split the next four points before a kill by Nicole Fawcett gave the Nittany Lions the second game 30-27.

The third game would be similar to the first as Penn State would open up an insurmountable 16-3 lead. Hodge would finish with a match-high 18 kills and nine digs for the Nittany Lions, who advance to face Hofstra in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 2.

LIU returns all nine of its letterwinners next season as they look to advance to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive season.