OAKDALE, N.Y. - The Caldwell College volleyball team played in its first NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, losing to top-seeded Dowling College in three sets, 25-19, 25-22, 25-16 Thursday night at Dowling Gymnasium. The result ends a memorable season for the Cougars (24-8), who qualified for the NCAA Regional by winning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament last week. The Golden Lions (28-1), who have won four of the past five East Region titles, advance to Friday's semifinal round.
Dowling never trailed in the first set and built its largest lead at 20-14. The Cougars scored the next three points, capped by a kill from sophomore right side Amber Mosher (Flanders, NJ/Mount Olive), to cut the deficit to 20-17. But with the score 22-19, the Golden Lions tallied the final three points to take the first set. Caldwell hit an impressive .382 in the opening set and had 16 kills, five from sophomore outside hitter Susan McDonough (Saline, MI/Saline). But Dowling posted a .406 hitting percentage and had three service aces.
The two teams battled back and forth in the second set, with neither side taking control. With the score tied at 21-21, a Dowling attack error gave the Cougars their latest lead of the match at 22-21. But the Golden Lions scored four straight points, sparked by two kills from Patrycja Klekotka, as Caldwell fell behind two sets to none. Mosher led Caldwell with six kills, while Klekotka had seven kills for Dowling.
In the third set, the Golden Lions used a 5-1 run to take a 17-12 advantage and grab control of a close game. Caldwell never recovered and surrendered eight of the next 12 points to fall 25-16. The Cougars hit just .029 in the set compared to .310 for Dowling, which registered five total blocks in the final set.
Mosher led Caldwell with 10 kills, while McDonough, junior middle blocker Titilola Alao (Ossining, NY/Ossining) and senior outside hitter Justine Pecora (Clifton, NJ/Mt. St. Dominic Acad.) each tallied nine kills. Junior setter Lauren Roth (Findlay, OH/Findlay) distributed 36 assists, as the Cougars hit .229 as a team for the match. Klekotka led all players with 14 kills to go with four total blocks.
Caldwell, coached by Megan Hrbek, turned in its best season in the five-year history of the program with a record 24 victories en route to its first CACC championship and first trip to the NCAA East Region Tournament. This year's senior class, which consists of Pecora, middle blocker Keesha Francois (Elkins Park, PA/Cheltenham), defensive specialist Kathleen Estes (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst), outside hitter Cory Roesing (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus) and defensive specialist Lauren Herzog (Lodi, NJ/Lodi), helped the Cougars go 66-55 while at Caldwell, including a 62-31 over the past three seasons.
NCAA Division II East Region Volleyball Tournament
Hosted by Dowling College, Oakdale, N.Y.
Quarterfinals
Thursday, Nov. 18
No. 3 Bridgeport 3, No. 6 American International 1
No. 2 New Haven 3, No. 7 Pace 1
No. 1 Dowling 3, No. 8 Caldwell 0
No. 4 Adelphi 3, No. 5 C.W. Post 2
Semifinals
Friday, Nov. 19
No. 3 Bridgeport vs. No. 2 UNH, 5:00 p.m.
No. 1 Dowling vs. No. 4 Adelphi, 7:30 p.m.
Finals
Saturday, Nov. 20
Semifinal winners, 5:00 p.m.
