BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- The last time Post University Women's Volleyball lost two consecutive matches entering their match against the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday night was during their four-game skid at the beginning of the season from September 11th to September 14th. Since then, the Eagles had been rolling through their competition to the tune of just three losses before a 3-1 loss to the Purple Knights sent them to their second straight loss and dropped them into a tie for the CACC North Division title with Bridgeport.

Entering the night, the Eagles simply needed to win in order to win the division for the first since since 2018, but regardless of the outcome still controlled their own destiny as a win on Saturday against Bloomfield College would clinch them the top seed in the North Division due to the tiebreakers that come after head-to-head record.  

THE BASICS

Post University 1, University of Bridgeport 3

Post University (17-10, 12-3 CACC)

University of Bridgeport (19-9, 12-3 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
As a team, the Eagles attacked at just .116 across the four sets while progressing from a .077 first set all the way up to a match-high .282 in set three which was the only set they won on the evening. Senior outside hitter Caley Harper led all Post players with just eight kills while graduate outside hitter Kristina Peric struggled to the tune of only seven kills on 37 attempts with a .000 attack percentage. Junior libero Alyssa Groves netted a match-best 21 digs defensively, narrowly ahead of sophomore outside hitter Grace Presswood who had 20 digs by the end of the night. 

Sophomore outside hitter Hailey Jessen was on fire for the Purple Knights, recording 19 kills on 54 attempts with only four errors for a .278 attack percentage. As a team, Bridgeport played a relatively clean match as they committed just 14 errors compared to 21 errors for Post, but both teams had fewer errors than in their first matchup in which the Purple Knights tallied 22 errors and the Eagles had 26 errors in what would be a five-set win for Post at the Drubner Center. 

In total, three players from Bridgeport finished with double-digit kill marks as junior middle blocker Lucia Tomiello had 15 kills on 26 attempts for a stellar .538 attack percentage and senior outside hitter Paola Hernandez recorded a double-double having 14 kills and 16 digs in the win. As a team, the Purple Knights attacked at a .301 clip with their best set being set four with a .577 attack percentage courtesy of 16 kills on 26 attempts with just one error.

After finding their footing early on in set one, Post would tie it up at 19 all before a 6-1 run to finish things off gave Bridgeport the 25-20 win and they would carry that momentum into the second set where they never trailed to go up 2-0 following a 25-15 victory. Answer back in set three was Post after falling behind by five, 11-6, and using a 6-0 run to regain the lead briefly before entering a dogfight with the Purple Knights. Trailing 20-18 in the set, another 6-0 run shifted momentum the way of the Eagles who won it, 25-21, but the excitement would be short-lived as an 18-0 start to set four was more than enough for Bridgeport to secure a 25-4 set win and the match in four sets.

BY THE NUMBERS

• With only seven kills in the loss, Kristina Peric's six-game double-digit streak kill came to a close 
• When Post University's attack percentage is above .200 for an entire match, they are 12-0 this season – When the Eagles attack below .200 as a team, they are 5-10 overall, Post attacked at a .116 clip this afternoon at Georgian Court
• All three of Post University's conference losses this season have come on the road to Holy Family, Georgian Court, and now Bridgeport while they remain undefeated in conference play at home (7-0)
• Post University is now 2-19 all-time against the University of Bridgeport with one win at home and one win on the road both coming in the last three seasons 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University will host Senior Day on Saturday morning in the Drubner Center before their 11:00 AM matchup to close out the 2024 regular season against Bloomfield College. Earlier this season, the Eagles swept through the Bears on the road in straight sets all by double-digit point margins.