Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
Rhode Island
Reigning A-10 Award Winners Key Xavier Win
09.30.05 | Volleyball
Sept. 30, 2005
KINGSTON, R.I. - In the opening match of the first conference road trip, Xavier defeated host Rhode Island, 3-1. XU took the match by scores of 28-30, 34-32, 30-24 and 30-18. The Musketeers improve to 10-5 on the season and are now 3-0 in Atlantic 10 play, while Rhode Island falls to 5-10 on the year and 0-2 in conference action.
XU narrowly let the first game slip away and had the score at 29-28 in favor of URI before a quick timeout by the Rams allowed the home team to refocus and take the first game. Senior Kate Duchek recorded seven of her 18 kills on the night during the opening stanza but it was to no avail.
In the second game, the score was 11-7 in favor of the Musketeers when XU stretched its lead to seven points at the 15-8 mark. Rhode Island would rebound and battle to the end before an XU attack error put the Rams up 32-31. Xavier's junior duo of Astyn Bjorklund and Danielle Skrajewski would respond as a kill by Skrajewski put XU ahead 33-32 after two Bjorklund kills tied the score and then gave the Musketeers the second game.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the third game, Xavier mounted a 5-0 run and took the lead for good. Rhode Island would close to within one point at 14-13 but another 6-2 run by the Musketeers put the game out of reach and gave XU its largest lead at 27-20.
The final game Xavier jumped out to an 18-11 lead after a kill by Bjorklund and cruised the rest of the way. The Musketeers would eventually end the game after a kill by senior Carley Horvath and the stanza finished with Xavier holding its largest lead of 12.
Duchek, the reigning A-10 Player of the Week, continued to post impressive numbers as the senior finished with 18 kills and a .351 hitting percentage to go along with three aces. Jenn Welsh, the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week, notched 61 assists, helped the Musketeers post a .356 hitting percentage and also had three aces and nine digs in the match. Bjorklund tallied 16 kills on 25 swings and ended the night with a .600 hitting percentage, while Skrajewski had 14 kills, a .367 hitting percentage and finished with seven digs, just missing her fourth consecutive double-double by three digs. Sophomore Jill Quayle dominated the net with eight block assists, 14 kills and ended with a .407 hitting percentage. Jordan Brightwell and Erica Kaczorowski each finished with double digit digs on the night and had 11 and 10, respectively.
Xavier will return to the court tomorrow night as the Musketeers travel to New York to take on Fordham. The Rams fell tonight to the University of Dayton in three games and come into the contest with an 11-6 mark and are now 1-1 in A-10 play.
