HAMDEN — Good and clean play is the best way to describe the game as Quinnipiac volleyball defeated new MAAC opponent Sacred Heart in four sets, notching the Bobcats’ first win over the Pioneers since 2004.
The game started with a strong showing from both sides, with the Pioneers ultimately getting the best of the Bobcats 25-20 in the first set.
“I thought we played a good first set,” Quinnipiac head coach Kyle Robinson said. “Sometimes the breaks don’t go your way, a couple of calls we missed, maybe a couple of errors, but they didn’t play poorly.”
Play poorly they did not, as the Bobcats rallied in the second set and beyond. From then on, they played good volleyball, succeeding at all aspects of the game.
“We served well, which gives us a lot of energy and a lot of confidence,” Robinson said.
The team minimized service errors from game to game, having only five service errors today, compared to nine against the previous opponent Fairfield. Service aces also improved with the team getting nine in total. Junior setter Damla Gunes and sophomore outside Leilani Kai-Giusta led the team with three service aces each.
Junior middle blocker Milena Silva, who spent last year out with an ACL injury, played well in today’s game with a strong stat line of nine kills and three block assists.
“It’s really competitive to come back to volleyball since it’s a sport that you do turn around all the time,” Silva said. “It was really hard, but I’m happy to be here.”
Robinson believes Silva can be one of the better, if not top middle in the MAAC.
“When you injure yourself at this level when you tear an ACL, it’s not easy to recover from it and then get back to playing,” Robinson said. “To see (Silva) work her way back, fight her way back, gain the confidence to actually jump again, that’s huge. So to see her play well is not just great for the team, it’s great for my soul because I have a lot of love for all our players.”
Silva was not the only player to show out, as junior outside hitter Yagmur Gunes also had a terrific game against the Pioneers. Yagmur Gunes finished the game with 12 kills, two service aces and seven digs on the day.
“I feel so great. I think the reason for our success is because we worked as a team and not as individuals,” Yagmur Gunes said. “I feel great that I could contribute to this win.”
As a new member of the MAAC this year, Sacred Heart provides another strong local opponent for the Bobcats for years to come.
“Sacred Heart’s a good school and a good volleyball program, and they’re right in our backyard. It’s good for us to have that competition,” Robinson said. “We’re going to compete and win against them. We’re also going to compete and lose against them, and that’s good for the sport and good for the conference.
The Bobcats improved to 6-11 on the year and 3-2 in MAAC play. They will face Manhattan on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.
