Oct. 22, 2010

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - The Explorers battled, but fell to Duquesne, 3-0 (28-30, 15-25).

Samantha Tulskie notched a double-double, leading La Salle with 13 kills and 12 digs.

The Explorers nearly took the opening set.  The Blue and Gold fell behind early, 13-8, but stormed back to take the lead at 19-18.  Tulskie, who hit .294 in the first set, propelled La Salle with five kills during that run, while Colleen Fedorowicz chipped in two winners.

The Explorers were at match point at 24-21 after a kill by Alex Kennedy.  La Salle errors put the Dukes back in the game and both teams fought for the set, with Duquesne coming out on top, 30-28.

“Losing that first set took a lot of wind out of our sails, but I was proud of how the team maintained a positive attitude throughout the match,” coach Dave Stever said.

In the second set, both teams traded points until Duquesne used a 10-0 run to open a lead on the Explorers.  The Dukes would go on to take a 25-15 set victory.

After falling behind in the third frame, La Salle gained some momentum and got within four at 16-20 on a pair of kills by Jacquelyn Mitrovich and one by Kourtney Clark.  However, Duquesne held on to win 25-20 to take the match.

The Dukes’ Allison Foschia led all attackers with 14 kills and teammate Sarah Svorinic chipped in 34 assists.

For the Explorers, Clark notched 30 assists and Mitrovich had six total blocks.

Fedorowicz, seeing her first three-set action for the Explorers tonight, finished with six kills on the evening, good for second on the La Salel squad.

“Colleen has been doing well at practice,” Stever said. “We’ve been trying different combinations of players.”

The Explorers will meet Saint Louis tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. at the Tom Gola Arena.