BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Oct. 19, 2024) - Georgian Court Volleyball has now defeated the CACC preseason number one seed in both the North and South division in consecutive matches. And they accomplished both on the road. After defeating Jefferson 3-1 Wednesday, they pulled off the same at Bridgeport Friday night to improve to 10-7 this season and 7-1 in the CACC.

How it Happened
• Both teams hit better than .200 in this one. The Lions hit .212 and Purple Knights .204.
• Bridgeport hit both four more kills and four more attack errors than the Lions. 
• While each team hit seven service errors, GCU hit 11 aces and UB eight.
• Blocking numbers were also fairly even with the Lions putting back seven and Purple Knights six.
Set 1
• Bridgeport got out to a fast start with a 5-2 lead before the Lions used a 4-1 run to tie things at six.
• The teams traded points and still were tied up at 11-all.
• From there though, Bridgeport scored five straight to take a 15-11 lead and never trailed again.
• They closed the set on a 14-4 run for an early 1-0 lead. 
Set 2
• Georgian Court scored the first four points in set two, but gave the lead right back with four straight Purple Knight points.
• Still tied at five, Georgian Court responded with six straight, getting a pair of Nylene Mateo service aces during the run.
• Bridgeport began to chip away at the Lion lead, getting to within one, 17-16.
• The Lions answered though never gave the lead back. They scored four straight to go up 21-16 and pushed it to seven, 24-17.
• Bridgeport scored three straight, but a Giorgia Cappelletti kill evened up the match with a 25-20 win.
Set 3
• Georgian Court kept scoring to begin the third set. They even got a kill from libero Carmen Rivera as a free ball fell to the floor to go up 6-2.
• The Purple Knights got back in with three straight to cut the lead to one, 6-5.
• Martina Croce then scored four straight herself with two kills and two service aces to take their largest lead, 10-5.
• Bridgeport didn't go away though and again cut the lead to one, 11-10 and forced a Lion timeout.
• Out of the break, GCU went on a 6-2 run to reclaim their five-point lead, 17-12. The Lions took advantage of a handful of Purple Knight errors during the run.
• Once again, Bridgeport didn't go quietly. Down six, 21-15, Bridgeport cut the lead to two, 22-20 thanks to a 5-1 run. Chelsea Ross though took matters into her own hands with a kill and a block to put the set away, 25-21.
Set 4
• Set four was Bridgeport's turn to take an early lead. They jumped out 6-2.
• Georgian Court though answered with a 6-0 run getting three Croce service aces to take an 8-6 lead.
• The Purple Knights tied things at eight and the set was tied at each point from 8-13.
• Still tied at 18, GCU got three straight kills, first from Ross and then two straight from Cappelletti for a 21-18 lead and Bridgeport timeout. 
• The Lions never trailed again and Ross punctuated the match with a kill for a 3-1 win.

Lion Stat Leaders
• Giorgia Cappelletti hit a team-best 16 kills with eight digs.
• Nylene Mateo was a kill shy of a double-double with nine kills and 16 digs.
• Chelsea Ross also hit nine kills with five total blocks.
• Amiyah Woods chipped in with six kills and two blocks. 
• Iciar Zayas dished out 22 assists with 10 digs for a double-double.
• Carmen Rivera picked up 11 digs with eight assists. 
• Dayna Diaz added 15 assists. 

For the Purple Knights
• Paola Hernandez hit .257 with 15 kills and 10 digs.
• Hailey Jessen also hit 15 kills.
• Lucia Tomiello scored 11 kills, three blocks and three service aces.
• Grace Presswood added five kills and 13 digs.
• Jaden Drollinger totaled a game-high 41 assists. 
• Ella Bowman finished with a team-best 14 digs.

News and Notes
• Carmen Rivera reached 100 career assists. Her third set kill was her first this season in 63 sets played.
• Martina Croce recorded her 200th career dig. Her seven service aces set a new single-game high for Croce and the Lions this season. 
• The seven aces are the most since Jessica Sprankle had eight against Queens Sept. 3, 2022. 
• Giorgia Cappelletti has 33 kills in her last two matches against Bridgeport.
• The Lions win snaps a Purple Knights seven game winning streak against GCU.
• Each of the last six matches between these teams has ended 3-1. 
• Georgian Court this season is 5-6 when losing the first set.
• In matches that extend beyond three sets, the Lions are 8-1. 

Up Next
• After a season-long five-game road trip, the Lions are finally back home next Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m against Wilmington.