November 14, 2009

Volleyball Takes East Coast Conference Title With Comeback 3-2 Win Over Dowling

Oakdale, NY-The number two seed University of Bridgeport Purple Knights used a stirring comeback to claim the school's first over East Coast Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday night, as UB defeated the number one seed Dowling College Golden Lions, 3-2, on DC's home court.  Bridgeport lost the first two sets of the match by identical 25-23 scores before coming back to take the final three sets of the contest, 25-22, 25-18, 15-12. The win, which gives Bridgeport the ECC's automatic bid in the 2009 NCAA Division II Championship Tournament which will begin on Thursday, November 19, raises the Purple Knights season record to 31-6. Dowling is now 26-6.

Junior Terry Masava (Nairobi, Kenya), who was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the ECC Championship Tournament, led UB and all players in the match in kills with 24 on the night. Terry's sweetest kill was the match winner in the fifth set which was a beautiful tip shot over two Dowling blockers at the net.  Masava also tied for the tam lead in digs with 16 along with senior Juliana Moraes (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Dowling's libero Morgan Mutranowski led all players in the match with 24 digs.
 
Joining Masava in double figure kills for the Purple Knights were junior Ivana Kovacevic-Jurasin (Belgrade, Serbia) with 17 and graduate student Agatha Baliddawa (Jinja, Uganda)chipped in 14 kills. Baliddawa also had six block assists.
 
Patrycja Klekotka led Dowling's offense with 22 kills.
 
Bridgeport senior setter Milica Micovic (Belgrade, Serbia) had a solid all-around match, as she amassed 50 assists, had 10 digs, four kills and two service aces.
 
The win by Bridgeport in the East Coast Conference Volleyball Championship Final snaps Dowling's streak of five consecutive league crowns.

Both Bridgeport and Dowling, the Golden Lions are a lock for an NCAA at-large bid, will now await word on Sunday as to where the NCAA East Regional will be played, and which opponent they will face in the opening round of NCAA action.