FLUSHING, N.Y. -- A back and forth road opener for Post University Women's Volleyball against Queens College ended in defeat for the Eagles who won a tough first set over Knights , 25-22, before falling in three consecutive sets 26-24, 25-20, and 25-19 and dropping the match, 3-1, on Friday afternoon.

THE BASICS

Post University 1, Queens College 3

Post University (0-1)
Queens College (2-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED
It would be a come-from-behind first set for the Knights who trailed 9-4 in the early going, but used a blitzing 7-1 run to take the lead, 11-10, which was fueled by four attack errors by Post. However, in the back-and-forth middle stages of the set, the largest lead the Eagles would be able to take was by four points, 21-17. The closest Queens would come was within two and following a kill from sophomore outside hitter Kendall Conrad, Conrad's service error would grant the Eagles the opening set win. 

Coming out of the gate strong, the Knights opened up a 5-1 edge and led by as many as eight points, 16-8, in a second set that seemed firmly in their control. But a 7-1 run off spearheaded by back-to-back service aces as well as a kill from junior outside hitter Tamara Radovanov helped cut that Eagle deficit to two points, 17-15. Down to their last gasp trailing 24-19, sophomore libero Alyssa Groves used an assist and two service aces to lead the charge for Post to tie the set up at 24. However, the Knights would regain their composure and steal back the momentum with back-to-back points, taking the set, 26-24. 

Another fast start for Queens College saw them lead 5-2 at the beginning of the third set which would only further expand to seven points following a 5-0 run later on, 13-6. But once again, Post would not go away quietly and trailing 20-12 used a 5-1 run which threatened to get them back into the match down just 21-17. Junior middle hitter Hannah Brandt's kill inched the Eagles to within three, 23-20, but a pair of kills from Conrad and junior hitter Alicia Cervera Sospedra clinched the Knights' second set win of the afternoon.

Looking to force a decisive fifth set, the Eagles would trail blows with Queens College which saw the teams tied at seven all before a 3-0 run by Post put them ahead, 10-7. But the Knights would fight back and again both sides would exchange the lead five times before Queens took control for good. With the Eagles ahead 18-16, the Knights would rally for nine of the next 10 points to take the set and the match with a 25-19 victory in the fourth set, handing Post their first loss of the season while winning their second match of the day.

BY THE NUMBERS

• In her first match with Post, junior middle hitter Hannah Brandt attacked at a .474 percentage with 11 kills on 19 attempts
• Senior setter Izabella Rae turned in a strong season opener with 21 assists and five kills to go along with four service aces
• Junior outside hitter Kaila Sandy made her Eagle debut to the tune of 11 kills 
• Sophomore libero Alyssa Groves had a team-high 17 digs 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University gets right back to it tomorrow morning with a pair of games starting at 10:00 AM against University of Charleston followed by a 2:00 PM matchup against Molloy University in Rockville Centre, New York. The Eagles are 0-1 all-time against Charleston, having lost last year in straight sets while they boast a 14-9 record against Molloy and are coming off a 3-0 win over the Knights during the 2022 season.