CALDWELL, N.J. -- Sophomore hitter
Marley Rudolph (Hampstead, Md.) had 11 kills and junior setter
Grace Moliterno (Chester, N.Y.) flipped 19 assists as Caldwell University volleyball took defending champion University of Bridgeport to the wire before falling in five tightly contested sets at the Newman Center on Wednesday evening.
After UB won the first set, the Cougars rallied to take the second, with consecutive kills by Rudolph closing out a 25-23 set.
CU (2-9, 0-3 CACC) trailed, 7-2, early in the third, but six straight points, five on the serve of sophomore RS
Meredith Gatz (Millis, Mass.) pushed the Cougars ahead, kills by Gatz, freshman MB
Si'ena King (Orlando, Fla.) and senior hitter
Andrea Enabosi (Piscataway, N.J.) punctuating the run.
Trailing, 15-12, Caldwell scored seven of the next eight points, two kills by freshman MB
Sarah Ojo (Richmond, Texas) and a service ace by sophomore libero
Olivia Oakley (Hopkinsville, Ky.) highlighting the rally. At 24-21, Ojo's kill off the block gave CU a 2-1 set lead.
UB (4-9, 1-1) would send it to a fifth set, where CU pushed ahead, 10-8, on a kill by Gatz before four straight points put the visitors on top. CU battled back to within 13-12, but a kill by Hailey Jessen, who led all attackers with 23 kills, and final block won it for the Purple Knights.
Rudolph contributed eight digs to go with her team-best in kills, with support from Enabosi and Ojo (nine kills each) and Gatz (eight kills, nine digs, three blocks).
Oakley paced the back line with 19 digs and junior DS
Stephanie Ramos (Jackson, N.J.) pulled up 16 digs.
The Cougars visit St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday for a non-league match, then host Georgian Court on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Newman Center.
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