HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – The Centenary University women's volleyball team came out on top in a five-set thriller Tuesday evening, defeating Cedar Crest College, 3-2, inside the John M. Reeves Student Recreation Center.
The Cyclones captured the opening two sets, 25-21 and 25-14, before the Falcons battled back with 25-22 and 25-21 victories to force a decisive fifth set. Centenary responded when it mattered most, jumping out to an early advantage and holding off Cedar Crest for a 15-11 victory to secure the match.
Set One: Centenary 25, Cedar Crest 21
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle between the two sides. Centenary opened an early 6-2 advantage behind kills from Helen Bilomasur, Gabriella Miller and Poppy Skjonnemand, but Cedar Crest continued to battle and eventually evened the score at 7-7. Neither side was able to create much separation through the middle portion of the set. The Falcons briefly moved ahead, 17-15, before Centenary began its comeback. A Skjonnemand kill cut the deficit to one before Julia Stuart brought the Cyclones within one again at 19-18.
Centenary then took control late. Skjonnemand recorded an ace to tie the set at 19 before Bilomasur followed with a kill to put the Cyclones ahead. With Centenary holding a 21-20 advantage, Stuart delivered three consecutive service aces to push the lead to 24-20. Bilomasur eventually closed out the opening set with a kill for the 25-21 victory.
Set Two: Centenary 25, Cedar Crest 14
The Cyclones carried their momentum into the second set, opening with three straight points behind two Bilomasur kills and an Adrienne Xiao service ace. After Cedar Crest pulled within 6-5, Centenary broke the set open with Miller at the service line. The Cyclones scored seven consecutive points to turn a one-point lead into a commanding 13-5 advantage. Miller recorded three aces during the run, while Stuart added a kill.
Centenary continued to control the set from there. Sofia Mendez contributed two kills off the bench, while Bilomasur, Miller and Stuart continued to produce offensively. Stuart put the finishing touch on the dominant set with a kill as the Cyclones took it, 25-14, and moved one set away from victory.
Set Three: Cedar Crest 25, Centenary 22
Centenary looked to close out the match in straight sets and built an early 7-3 advantage behind kills from Bilomasur, Skjonnemand and Miller. The Falcons refused to go away, however, slowly cutting into the Cyclones' lead. Centenary remained in front, 16-14, following a Miller service ace, but Cedar Crest tied the set at 16 and again at 17.
Cedar Crest then put together the decisive run, scoring four consecutive points to move ahead, 21-17. Centenary attempted a late comeback as Stuart and Bilomasur recorded kills and Skjonnemand pulled the Cyclones within two at 24-22. The Falcons answered on the following point to secure the 25-22 victory and extend the match.
Set Four: Cedar Crest 25, Centenary 21
The fourth set began evenly, with the teams trading points to a 4-4 tie. Cedar Crest then produced its strongest run of the match, scoring six consecutive points to take a 10-4 advantage. The Cyclones spent the remainder of the set fighting their way back. Trailing 14-8, Centenary used a Cedar Crest attack error, a Bilomasur ace and a Skjonnemand kill to cut the deficit to three.
Centenary made another push later in the set with Miller at the service line. Miller recorded back-to-back aces as part of a three-point run that brought the Cyclones within one, 17-16. Cedar Crest responded by scoring three straight points and eventually extended its advantage to 24-18. The Cyclones fought off three set points, highlighted by an Ava Estrada kill and Xiao service ace, but Cedar Crest closed out the frame, 25-21, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set.
Set Five: Centenary 15, Cedar Crest 11
With the match on the line, the Cyclones came out firing. Stuart opened the decisive set with a kill before Xiao took over from the service line. Xiao recorded three service aces during a five-point opening run, while Skjonnemand added a block to give Centenary an immediate 5-0 advantage.
Stuart added another kill to make it 6-1, and Centenary maintained control as the teams switched sides with the Cyclones leading 8-3. The lead grew to 12-4 following a Bilomasur kill, a Miller kill, a Cedar Crest setting error and a Bilomasur ace. The Falcons made one final push, trimming the deficit to 12-8 and later 14-11, but Centenary never surrendered its lead.
A Cedar Crest service error provided the final point as the Cyclones captured the fifth set, 15-11, and completed the thrilling 3-2 victory.
Inside the Box Score
Centenary finished the match with 46 kills, 41 assists, 20 service aces and 75 digs while hitting .193 as a team. The Cyclones held Cedar Crest to 32 kills and a .140 hitting percentage. Bilomasur turned in an outstanding offensive performance, finishing with 12 kills on 25 attempts without committing an attack error for a .480 hitting percentage. She also added three service aces. Skjonnemand matched Bilomasur with 12 kills while adding two aces, seven digs and a block. Stuart recorded 11 kills, four aces and five digs, while Miller added eight kills and a match-high six service aces. Xiao directed the Cyclones' offense with 30 assists while also recording five service aces and 11 digs. Defensively, Rey Bennett led Centenary with a match-high 21 digs while also contributing four assists.
The victory improves the Cyclones to 3-6 on the season.
