[media-credit id=2280 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]In an electric environment, the Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team fell to the Rider Broncs 3-1 in the annual Dig Pink game Sunday afternoon at Burt Kahn Court.

The first set started and ended in favor of the Broncs. They were very energetic and getting to the ball faster than the Bobcats did. The Bobcats were slow to the ball, but as the first match picked up, they were getting to the same level as the Broncs. In the end, it was Rider prevailed in the first set, taking the first set 25-22.

Though Rider won the first set, the teams were almost even with the statistics they had, with the Bobcats having 14 kills, seven errors, an ace and three total blocks. Looking at the Broncs, they had 14 kills, five errors, an ace and four total blocks.

In the second set, it seemed as if the Bobcats got that same energy that the Broncs had in the first set and used it to win the second set. They were energetic and emotional, and that’s all they needed, as they took the second set 25-19, tying the game at one a piece. One player that really stood out in this set was junior middle-hitter captain Kaleigh Oates. She was getting her getting all her points by using her powerful spikes and contributed to most of the points scored in the second half of the second set.

Quinnipiac head Kris Czaplinski explained that Kaleigh Oates got more time in this game compared to the previous game because of the way she plays.

“We just saw both of our middles Lydia [Jones] and Gabby [Horman] were doing pretty well yesterday,” Czaplinski said. “The reason we put her in is because she adds a different dimension into the game. We feel comfortable starting any of our three middles right now.”

Czaplinski clarified what he meant by different dimension by talking about how she can be used in every position with the skill set that he has.

The third set that was close for the majority of it, but in the end, the Broncs took advantage of those mistakes and pulled away with the lead, eventually getting the win in the third set. On the bright side for the Bobcats, Oates was still producing like she was in the second set, providing the points needed to bring the Bobcats close to the lead.

The fourth set is where the Broncs sealed the deal. Though it was the final set of the match, it was the most intense. Having the Bobcats on the verge of a loss brought out all the emotions. In the end, the Bobcats fell short 25-23 in the fourth set.

The Bobcats look to get back on track as the Fairfield Stags come into town this Friday Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at Burt Kahn Court.

“We feel confident going and beating Fairfield,” Czaplinski said. “We had a good game plan going into it and remained confident in what we worked on. If we do what we did last time and make some minor adjustments to our game plan, we will be to win this important game.”