HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Natalie Dziadzio and Colleen Russell combined for 21 kills and .409 hitting to lead the Pratt Institute women's volleyball team to a 3-0 triumph (28-26, 25-22, 25-21) over Centenary University on Wednesday evening.
With the win, Pratt concludes the regular season at 7-15 overall and 2-4 in league play, securing the No. 5 seed for the 2024 Atlantic East Conference Women's Volleyball Championship beginning next week.
Russell pounded 11 kills while hitting .391 and bringing up seven digs. Dziadzio reached double-figure kills for the first time, slamming 10 at a blistering .429 clip with 11 digs for her first double-double. Anabela Jakelic added five error-free kills for a .625 hitting effort and stuffed three blocks (all assisted).
Emily Sontag handed out 26 assists as the team hit a season second-best .205 and also added four kills and three aces. Kelsy Padilla chipped in six kills with nine digs and two aces.
A highly-contested opening set saw 17 ties and nine lead changes and neither team ahead by more than three in the frame. After Pratt led 23-21, Centenary rattled off three straight for set point, which the Cannoneers fought off and erased another set point at 25-24. Back-to-back kills from Padilla and Russell gave Pratt their first set point and they converted on their second for a 28-26 win.
Centenary (4-22, 0-6) led for the majority of the second stanza and by as many as five on two occasions and as late as the 18-13 mark, but the black-and-gold closed out the set on a 12-4 run to steal the frame for a 2-0 lead.
The Cyclones raced out to a 6-0 lead to open the third stanza before the Cannoneers used a 7-1 spurt to reel them back in and move ahead, 10-9. Pratt assembled a 6-2 run later in the set capped by a Jakelic kill and back-to-back kills from Russell to create a 21-15 separation they maintained for good secure the sweep.
Pratt will begin their first Atlantic East tournament on Tuesday, November 12, traveling to No. 4 seed Gwynedd Mercy University for a first-round matchup with a start time to be announced.
