Volleyball Sneaks By Fordham In Five-Game Marathon

Saturday, October 29

Manley Field House

2:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Fordham

Cheryl Cobbina put down a career-high 18 kills in a 3-2 win against Fordham

Volleyball Sneaks By Fordham In Five-Game Marathon

10/29/2005 5:05:48 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Updated Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Oct. 29, 2005 – Sophomore Cheryl Cobbina recorded a career-high 18 kills and senior Kelly Duan notched a match-best 21 kills to lead the Orange to a 3-2 (30-24, 29-31, 32-30, 26-30, 18-16) victory against Fordham this afternoon in Manley Field House. Senior Aila Dommestrup dished out 50 assists to improve SU’s winning streak to nine matches.

Senior Kristen Conway contributed 13 kills while sophomore Joscie Kaup had a match-high 15 digs. Duan also had 13 digs and four block assists. Dommestrup had a team-high five block assists.

Early in game one, SU was down 8-1. Marija Markovic started things off with a kill, and two SU miscues gave Fordham the first three points. After senior Katie Allen and Duan combined for a block, the Rams scored the next five points. Fordham had an 11-4 lead, but Cobbina and Duan both put down kills, and a ball handling error tightened the game to 11-7. Two more mistakes by SU gave Fordham a 13-7 lead, then a service error and another ball handling error by Fordham gave the two points right back. Kaup registered a service ace to cut the lead to 13-10. SU climbed its way back, tying the score 18-18 on a Fordham attack error. Cobbina put down two more of her kills to give SU its first lead at 20-18. The Orange would secure that lead for the rest of the match. Later, SU went on a five-point run to give the Orange a 29-23 lead, and would win the game 30-24.

Fordham found itself up early again at 8-3 in the second game. SU came back with the next four points, including a Brittany Kern kill. SU would eventually tie the score at 19-19, and the two teams battled from there. There were seven more ties from that point on. At 29-29, Kern missed on an attack and Markovic and Cassie Sharp combined for a block to seal the game, 31-29.

Game three featured a late comeback by the Orange. With a 10-8 advantage, SU rallied for six more points to gain a comfortable 16-8 lead. Steadily, the Rams fought its way back into the game, and tied it 25-25 on an SU ball handling error. The next three points belonged to Fordham as well, giving the Rams its first lead of the game at 28-25. Sharp had two kills in that stretch. Cobbina put down another kill to make the score 28-26, but Sharp responded with one of her own to give Fordham game point at 29-26. Duan saved the Orange with a kill, and then junior Erin McQuillin and Conway stuffed a Fordham attack to close within one, 29-28. A Fordham attack error deadlocked the game 29-29, and then Conway put another on the board with a kill, giving SU a 30-29 lead. Markovic tied the game up again at 30-30 with a kill, but Conway gave SU the lead back quickly with another kill. Dommestrup and Allen came up big on the next play, turning back a Fordham attack, to give SU the 32-20 win.

SU found itself sitting comfortably in game four at 17-12, but the Rams scored eight of the next 11 points to tie the score 20-20. Markovic had a kill and a block assist in the run. At 23-23, Fordham took the lead for good with a three-point run. Jamee Stimson had a kill in that stretch, and the Rams forced a final game with a 30-26 victory.

In the fifth game, SU was up 6-4 until Fordham scored four-straight points to take an 8-6 lead. Markovic was the key again, with a kill and a block assist in that span. Fordham increased its lead to 12-9, but was unable to hold on as SU scored four of the next five points to tie the game 13-13. Duan and Cobbina both sparked the run for the Orange with kills. The two teams traded points all the way to 16-16, but Markovic missed on a serve to give SU a 17-16 lead. A Fordham attack error on the next play sealed the 18-16 triumph for the Orange.

For the Rams (18-11), Markovic finished with 19 kills and nine block assists. Stimson added 16 kills while Sharp had 11. Tasha Johnston and Kate Nelson both put down 10 attacks as well. Kealia Ieremia distributed 57 assists in the loss. Johnston also added 13 digs.

The Orange (21-7), which is 20-2 in the month of October in the last two seasons, will host Villanova tomorrow, Oct. 30, in the Women’s Building for a crucial BIG EAST contest. First serve is slated for 2:00 p.m.