POUGHKEEPSIE, NY- Despite an impressive opening set win, Saint Peter's Peacocks (5-14, 3-9 MAAC) were unable to sustain their momentum, ultimately falling to Marist (3-20, 3-10 MAAC) in four sets (25-19, 15-25, 22-25, 14-25) at James J. McCann Arena.
Saint Peter's ignited the match with a powerful response after Marist struck first, piecing together a three-point counter featuring a kill from junior Elena Bilhartz, an ace from sophomore Maliyah LaBrie, and a strike from freshman Valeria Pagan Munoz to take an early 3-1 lead. Although Marist went on a seven-point surge to pull ahead, Saint Peter's rallied back with a series of standout plays. Back-to-back aces from LaBrie, kills from Pagan Munoz, and a double block by Bilhartz and Pagan Munoz lifted the Peacocks to a 16-14 advantage. A four-point run, capped by a decisive kill from freshman Skye Graham, clinched the first set for the Peacocks, 25-19.
The second set saw Marist find their rhythm, capitalizing on three early Peacock attack errors to go up 4-0 and later extending the lead to 17-5. Saint Peter's managed to close the gap to 19-14 behind kills from Bilhartz and senior Penelope Rivera and a pair of LaBrie aces, but Marist quickly closed out the set, tying the match at 1-1.
The third set featured a fierce back-and-forth battle with each team trading rallies and blocks. Saint Peter's fought their way to a slim 12-11 lead after kills from LaBrie and a double block from Graham and Bilhartz. Marist responded with a four-point run, building a cushion at 15-12. Despite Saint Peter's late push, which included a timely Labrie kill and a block from junior Sydney Kuzma and Bilhartz to bring the score to 23-22, Marist clinched the set with a kill and block, pulling ahead 2-1.
In the fourth set, Saint Peter's kept pace early on, but Marist's relentless attacks broke through, opening up a decisive lead. Although the Peacocks brought the score within three at 17-14, Marist closed out the match with an eight-point run, taking the final set 25-14.
Inside the Numbers:
Labrie led the Peacocks with 10 kills and a season-high five aces
Bilhartz tallied nine kills and six total blocks
Freshman Danielle Caligiuri notched 21 assists
Up Next:
The Peacocks remain on the road, traveling to Loudonville, NY, to face the Saints of Siena College. First serve is set for 2 PM.
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