LAKEWOOD, NJ (Sept. 18, 2024) - Just two days after a stunning 3-2 win over Millersville where Georgian Court Volleyball came back after trailing two sets to none, the Lions nearly had the tables turned on them. Wednesday it was the Lions who led 2-0 but found themselves in the fifth set with Chestnut Hill after dropping sets three and four. Tied at 13, the Lions rallied to score the final two sets and hang on for their third straight win, 3-2 (25-23, 25-15, 23-25, 25-14, 15-13). The Lions are now 3-3 overall and start CACC play 1-0.

How it Happened
• It was not the prettiest game of volleyball ever played. Errors were aplenty, on attacks, set attempts, blocks, and especially on the serve.
• Neither team hit above .100 with the Lions holding a .066 attack percentage and the Griffins .077.
• Both teams knocked 13 aces, but CHC hit 15 service errors and the Lions 12.
• The Griffins made up points on the block with 12 to Georgian Court's six.
Set 1
• The first set had the most lead changes at five along with five tie scores. Chestnut Hill scored the first three points, but that lead didn't last long at all.
• The Lions used an 8-2 run to climb ahead 8-5.
• Georgian Court stayed in front for a bit until the Griffins evened things at 11-all.
• From their, the teams were jockeying the lead with neither gaining more than a one-point edge until Georgian Court scored four straight for a 19-16 advantage.
• Following a timeout though, Chestnut Hill responded with a 5-0 spurt to grab the lead right back, 21-19.
• GCU tied things at 21 and with the score still tied at 21, Giorgia Cappelletti hit back-to-back kills to hand set one to the Lions, 25-23.
Set 2
• The second set was a much different story and was all Georgian Court. The Lions raced out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back.
• A Nylene Mateo service ace gave the Lions a 10-point lead, 15-5.
• Set two was never in doubt and GCU cruised to a 2-0 match lead with a 25-15 win.
• The Lions capitalized on plenty of Griffin mistakes as CHC hit six attack errors, two set errors, three service errors and were called for a block error. 
Set 3
• It seemed like all the momentum was favoring the Lions, but that was not the case. Starting out set three Georgian Court spotted the Griffins the first eight points in the set, three on service aces.
• But the Lions didn't quit. The scored 10 of the next 12 points and a Martina Croce service ace tied the set at 10.
• Georgian Court took advantage of five straight Chestnut Hill errors to turn a 13-12 deficit into a 16-13 lead.
• A Cappelletti service ace gave GCU their largest lead of the set, 20-16 and it once again looked like momentum favored the home team.
• Chestnut Hill dug in though and scored five straight of their own and retook a 21-20 lead.
• Tied at 22, the Griffins scored three of four and stayed alive with a 25-23 win in the third set.
Set 4
• Continuing the theme, there was on close set, following by one not so close set. 
• This time it was the Griffins turn to cruise to a win.
• They took the early lead and never trailed in set four. 
• CHC had a one-point lead, 11-10, following a Nylene Mateo kill. But an attack error gave the ball back to the Griffins who scored 14 of the final 18 points and tied the match with a 25-14 win.
Set 5
• Although the fifth set was played to just 15, it featured more tie scores than any other set on the night.
• The Lions looked determined to hold on to the win scoring the first four points in the final set with a Cappelletti service ace and kills from Croce and Chelsea Ross.
• Chesnut Hill quickly rebounded though and tied the set at five.
• From there, the score was tied at every point from five through 13.
• A Rachel Mace kill tied the set at 13 and when it looked like the Lions were set to sub, they were unallowed, cited for entering the field of play too soon before the referee allowed them on.
• That put the Lions back on their heels a bit, but Martina Croce picked up a strong service reception and Amiyah Woods finished the play with a kill to put the Lions at match-point.
• A bit of a scramble from the Griffins saw them attempt to keep the play alive, but a hit down the line fell out of bounds and handed the win to GCU.

Lion Stat Leaders
• The Lions shared the wealth in this one. Nylene Mateo and Martina Croce each picked up a team-best nine kills. Mateo also grabbed 13 digs.
• Giorgia Cappelletti led the Lions with 18 kills and scored seven kills with five service aces.
• Dayna Diaz passed 16 assists and was a dig shy of a double-double.
• Chelsea Ross scored six kills with four blocks.
• Carmen Rivera chipped in 15 digs and Amari Morales 11 assists.

For the Griffins
• Erika Dubosky finished with a game-high 16 kills while also adding 10 digs and six service aces.
• Rachel Mace was also in double-figure kills with 12 and picked up a double-double with 13 digs.
• Mia Caporellie dished 34 assists and scooped 16 digs.
• Alexandra Crespin corralled a game-best 21 digs.

News and Notes
• Georgian Court is now 28-6 all-time against the Griffins with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2021.
• Giorgia Cappelletti recorded her 400th career dig.
• The Lions .066 attack percentage is their lowest in a win since Oct. 19, 2012 when they hit .024 in a four-set win over Goldey-Beacom. They Lions were helped out by nine Lightning block errors and six ball-handling errors.

Up Next
• Georgian Court remains at home this weekend as they dip back into nonconference action to take on New Haven Saturday, Sept. 21 starting at 3 pm