MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Sophomore setter Catalina Luzader, who played in place of graduate setter Alice DiFrancesco, had a career-best morning for Post University Women's Volleyball with 43 assists, but the Eagles would drop a five-set match for the first time this season, 3-2, to Saint Anselm College, finishing their three-game in three-day stretch with a 1-2 record. 

THE BASICS

Post University 2, Saint Anselm College 3 

Post University (10-2)

Saint Anselm College (6-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED
In three of the five sets played, there would be no ties and no lead changes, as whoever took the lead to begin the set would never relinquish the lead. In all, there would be only seven ties and one lead change; three ties came in the third set, while the one lead change came in the game-defining run in the fifth set by Saint Anselm. 

The Hawks led wire-to-wire in set one, defined by a 5-0 run, which made it a 14-7 gam, and the Eagles would only be able to pull within one with their backs against the wall with a 3-0 run that made it 24-23, until senior libero Alyssa Groves' service error ended the comeback attempt. Post returned the favor in set two, ripping off a 14-3 start to the frame, but still needing to stave off a 12-4 stretch that made it 24-21, until freshman outside hitter Elyana Ortiz closed things out with a kill, 25-21.

All three ties of the third set all came within the first six points until the Hawks took the lead for good the rest of the way. Still trailing by four, 16-12, Saint Anselm's 6-0 run ended any chance of a comeback by Post as they opened up a 10-point edge to will their way to a 25-17 win. As they did in set two, Post took the lead from the start and never looked back, starting the fourth set with a 3-0 run, and ripping off an 8-0 run that broke things open with a 10-point lead of their own, going on to win 25-18, and forcing a fifth set.

Graduate outside hitter Kristina Peric started set five off with two kills on the first three points for the Eagles, who led 3-1, but then the only lead change of the match would come when freshman middle blocker Etta Rocco's kill made it 5-4 in favor of the Hawks. Post would only climb to within one point, 10-9, following a 3-0 run, but three straight errors would be their undoing, helping Saint Anselm to a game-winning 5-0 run, seizing the five-set win with a 15-9 fifth set. 

Peric nearly finished with her third consecutive game of 20-plus kills, finishing with 19 kills and 11 errors on 60 total attempts for a .133 attack percentage, while recording a double-double after having 21 digs, the second-most of the team. Groves, who continues to close in on conference history, had a team-best 26 digs, and freshman outside hitter Elyana Ortiz had her third double-digit kill match with 11 on 33 attempts with only three errors. 

With DiFrancesco out, Luzader filled in her role with 43 assists, only outdone by freshman setter Mckenna O'Connell by one assist as she finished with 44 assists for Saint Anselm. The Hawk offense was led by three players reaching double-digit kills in junior outside hitter Hollyn Frano, with a team-leading 17 kills, followed by sophomore outside hitter Taylor Lacerda's 13 kills, and 11 kills from junior middle blocker Miia Dembski. In total, five Saint Anselm players defensively recorded 10-plus digs in the win. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Sitting at 2,132 career digs after tonight's match, Alyssa Groves is only 401 digs away from surpassing Chestnut Hill College's Regina Trabosh for the most digs in CACC history, with 2,533 career digs from 2013-16
• Between her time at AIC and Post University, Alice DiFrancesco entered the match with 1,733 career assists, but did not play and remains 267 assists away from 2,000 in her career
• Seeing her first extended game action, Catalina Luzader recorded a career-high 43 assists while also having eight digs, a block solo, and a kill
• Post University has now lost five consecutive matches to Saint Anselm College, dating back to 2017, with this being the first match between the two teams that has gone to five sets -- The Eagles were 3-0 entering the day when going to five sets 

 
WHO'S NEXT
Getting back to conference play, Post University continues its five-game road trip with a match against the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM. The two teams split their home-and-home matches last season, with both of them winning their respective home games.