NEW HAVEN, Conn. — D'Youville dropped a 3-0 decision to Southern Connecticut State on Saturday at Pelz Gym, with the Saints falling 25-19, 25-17 and 25-18.
The Saints recorded 28 kills on the afternoon, led by eight each from Madeline O'Brien and Cameron Ulinski. O'Brien contributed eight points while Ulinski contributed six digs. Ashley Ballou paced the offense with 21 assists and added eight digs, three kills and a block assist. Angelyn Jaramillo led D'Youville defensively with ten digs.
D'Youville battled throughout the opening set, working back from an early 7-2 deficit to pull within 8-6. A kill from Ulinski helped spark the run, while late kills from Ballou and Ulinski and an ace from Giselle Ramirez helped the Saints make a push. Southern Connecticut State responded with a six-point run to take control before closing the set, 25-19.
The Saints stayed within striking distance in the second set, tying the score at 7-7 before the Owls used a four-point run to take an 11-7 advantage. O'Brien recorded three kills in the set, while Hailey Ferwerda, Ulinski and Ballou also added kills as Southern Connecticut State secured the 25-17 win.
D'Youville opened the third set with a 4-1 advantage behind a Ulinski kill and Southern Connecticut State errors. The Owls answered with five straight points, but the Saints battled back to tie the set at 6-6 on an O'Brien kill. Gabrielle Dials later brought D'Youville within one at 15-14 before Southern Connecticut State responded with four consecutive points and eventually closed the match, 25-18.
Southern Connecticut State finished the match with 41 kills and a .287 hitting percentage, while the Saints collected 42 digs.
Up next, D'Youville opens East Coast Conference play on Friday, Oct. 3, when the Saints travel to Rockville Centre, N.Y., to take on Molloy University.
