Lady Lions top King's (Ny.) in straight sets

Brooklyn, Ny. - The Lady Lions made their way to the Aviator Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon for a non-conference match with the King's College. Hazleton converted two closely contested frames to prevail on Sunday, sweeping King's by scores of 27-25, 25-5 and 25-23.

Neither team was able to make much headway in an opening set that featured 13 lead changes. On two separate occasions, King's fashioned a three point lead but each time, the Lady Lions were able to erase the gap. Hazleton would trail 23-24 in the tail end of the frame, but take four of the final five points to claim a 1-0 advantage in the match. 

Set number two was a completely different tale. King's would manage just six service attempts while Hazleton cruised to take control of the match. The Lady Lions would notch six service aces in the frame including two from senior Lauren Nietz (Coaldale, Pa.) and four by sophomore Samaya Hornsby (Richmond, Ca.) who led Hazleton from the service line on a 10-0 run en route to an easy 25-5 set two victory. 

It was bend but don't break in set number three for Hazleton who had to contend with a solid bounce back effort from King's following the set two rout. Hazleton built a healthy nine point lead in the final stanza but a late six point run by King's put the pressure back on the Lady Lions to finish off the match. King's trailed 24-23 following the run but failed to convert with the serve as senior Hailey Trassaco (Hamden, Ct.) earned the final kill of the day to send the Lady Lions home with their first road win of the season.

Sophomore Chelsea Dominguez (Bronx, Ny.) led Hazleton with nine kills on the day for Hazleton. Hornsby followed close behind with seven kills, adding five service aces to her credit while freshman Alessandra Banta (Coatesville, Pa.) tallied 27 assists on the afternoon. Nietz capped a successful day for the Lady Lions, notching 27 digs on the defensive side. 

Next up: Back to back wins has the Lady Lions back at the .500 mark and Hazleton will look to get over the hump as they continue non-conference play. The Lady Lions will travel to the nation's capitol on Tuesday, September 11 to face Trinity Washington University. First serve set for 4:00 p.m.