NICALEK’S STRONG EFFORT POWERS VOLLEYBALL PAST MERCY, 3-1

Box Score vs. Mercy - October 15, 2009 

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2009) - On Thursday evening, sophomore right-side hitter Angelica Nicalek (Valley Stream, N.Y.) registered a double-double with 18 kills and 18 digs to send the Molloy College volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 21-25, 25-11) victory versus Mercy College in the opener of its two-match road trip at Mercy Gymnasium in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. The win has the Lions at an overall mark of 8-15 and an East Coast Conference ledger of 3-5. As for the Mavericks, they fell to 3-19 and 0-7 in league action.

The opening set saw the two squads trade points until its conclusion. Tied at 23-up, Nicalek picked up a kill and assisted on a block by rookie middle hitter Liz Moulder (Wantagh, N.Y.) to get the win for Molloy. Nicalek took seven digs, five kills, two blocks and one ace in the set. Freshman outside hitter Jenna Faggione (Hicksville, N.Y.) collected three kills and a block. Junior outside hitter Arielle Wichard (Merrick, N.Y.) and sophomore middle hitter Catherine Russini (Westbury, N.Y.) added a kill each.

Deadlocked at 3-3 in the second set, the Lions went on a 7-1 streak to snatch a 10-4 lead. Russini served up a pair of aces, while Nicalek contributed a kill and an ace to the effort. Soon after, Mercy trailed 17-10, and went on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to two (18-16). Sophomore setter Bridgette Pennelle (Hawthorne, N.Y.) had a pair of kills in the burst. The Mavericks' showing was capped by an attack error from Moulder. Faggione and Nicalek combined for 11 kills in the set.

Following a third set defeat, Molloy grabbed hold of a 6-2 advantage off four straight points in the fourth. Later on, the Lions still owned the four-point margin at 11-7. They proceeded to put the match away for good with an 11-2 streak to go up 22-9. Freshman setter Jennifer Koelbel (West Hempstead, N.Y.) had three service aces, while Nicalek and Faggione each slammed a kill in the process. Faggione finished out the evening with 11 kills, three block assists and a pair of digs.

Head Coach Kevin Quiambao and the Lions return to the court this Tuesday when they close out their trip in Pleasantville, N.Y. against Northeast-10 Conference foe Pace University. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.