The Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team made the fans at Burt Kahn Court proud as they won at home for the first time this season by defeating St. Francis (N.Y.) in three straight sets. Junior Bonnie Conklin led the Bobcats with a career-high 13 kills which were critical to the first NEC victory of the season.
The Bobcats came out on fire in the first set. Conklin had four kills and Tierra Allen added two aces and three kills as they carried the team to a 25-20 set victory. This was just the second time this season the Bobcats won the opening set. The last time they did it was at Bryant on Oct. 17. They went on to lose their next 10 sets after that.
However, there would be no wait at all on this night, as the Bobcats followed that by winning the second set 25-19. The action was back and forth throughout the set. Conklin and Allen continued to play well chipping in three and four kills respectively and sophomore Brittanie Robinson posted two aces and four digs in a set that was a lot closer than it appeared on the scoreboard.
With victory close at hand the Bobcats made their final push. They held a 23-20 lead late in the third set but the Terriers would not go down easily. They rallied back to tie it up and send the set to extra points. A few points later, Brittany Garrett’s serve fell in for an ace and the Bobcats had earned their first NEC win of the season. Conklin was once again huge with six kills in the final set. She was helped by freshman Chandler Thornton and sophomore Tanner Celestin combined for nine kills and seven digs in the deciding set.
Garrett’s ace whipped the fans, who haven’t had much to cheer about this season, into a frenzy. That one play ended a handful of streaks. This was the team’s first sweep since Oct. 23, 2011, which coincidentally was against the St. Francis Terriers. It was the first home win and first NEC win for the Bobcats this season and it ended a 15-game losing streak. Garrett and company will take on Sacred Heart on the road Saturday before returning home for their final game of the season against Central Connecticut State at Burt Kahn Court.
