PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle volleyball team opened the 2005 season with a
3-1 (25-30, 30-28, 30-26, 30-26) victory over the visiting Rider Broncs Friday night at the Tom Gola Arena.  After dropping the first game of the match, the Explorers rallied to take the next three to win the match.

La Salle freshman Christa Dominick (White Lake, MI/Lakeland) turned in an impressive debut performance, hitting .316 for the match and knocking down 20 kills in 38 attempts.  Dominick also provided a defensive presence for the Explorers posting a pair of solo blocks and two assisted blocks.

The Explorers also got 14 kills each out of Stephanie Owen (Burlington, WI/Burlington) and Brittany Handley (Saylorsburg, PA/Pleasant Valley) to pace La Salle to victory.  Senior Kara Branz (Streator, IL/Streator Township) was solid, landing seven kills while committing just one error.  Branz also tallied six digs, two assisted blocks, one service ace and an assist.  Junior setter Caitlin Conner (Willow Springs, IL/Lyons Township) assisted on 50 of La Salle's 65 kills and nailed four kills on 12 attempts with no errors.

On the defensive side, libero Carolyn Judge (West Chester, PA/Bishop Shanahan) led all players with 31 digs, while Owen added 16.  Kristen Kelsey (Buda, TX/Jack C. Hays) also got in on the defensive action with 14 digs, while Conner contributed 10.

Rider was led by Katrina Stehle (Greensburg, PA/Hempfield Area) who tallied 15 digs and Megan Smith (Webster, NY/Webster) added 10 for the Broncs.  Setter Embrey Minor (Bowie, MD/Bowie) led the Broncs in assists with 28, while Kristine Dormer (Bowie, MD/Elizabeth Seton) added 11. 

On defense for the Broncs, Nastasja Avramovic (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) led the team with 25 digs.  Stefanie Lombardo (New Castle, PA/Laurel) earned 16 digs, while Stehle chipped with 13 and Minor added another 12 in the Rider's loss.

In game one, the Broncs jumped out to a marginal lead to start, but built a six-point lead at 15-9 and never relinquished the lead.  The Explorers managed to get the game to within one at 24-23, but the Broncs answered with three straight points before the Explorers called for a time out.  After the break, Rider landed another point to extend the lead to five, and eventually took a 30-25 victory.

In game two Rider mounted a four-point lead at 8-4, and held on to the lead until the Explorers got their first taste of the lead at 18-17.  The teams traded the next few points, and Rider again took the lead at 21-20, but the Explorers tied game two at 26-26 and built a two point lead at 29-27 before putting game two in the record books and knotting the match at 1-1.

In game three, Rider again took and early lead, but this time it would be short lived, as the Explorers tied the game at 7-7 and inched ahead to earn a 10-7 advantage.  The Explorers made it four points twice, but when Rider called a time out with the score 25-21, the Explorers came back from the time out to grab a five-point lead and never looked back.  The Explorers claimed a 30-26 victory and game three and a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth game, Rider again jumped out to the lead and led by as many as five points, but the Explorers rallied yet again and tied the game at 10-10.  Once again the teams traded points, but the Explorers pulled away after a 12-12 tied and eventually led by 20-16.  The Broncs were not letting up, as they tied the game at 21-21, but in the end, La Salle earned a 30-26 win and notched the season opening match victory.

La Salle will take a 1-0 record into next weekend's La Salle Invitational at Tom Gola Arena.  The Explorers will host Bucknell, Fairleigh Dickinson, Lafayette and Providence on September 2nd and 3rd.  The Explorers will compete on Friday at 2:00 pm against Lafayette, followed by the last match of the night at 7:00 pm against Providence.