BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team had a dramatic 3-1 win at home against Bryant Saturday afternoon in the Steinberg Wellness Center, rallying from a first set loss to beat the Bulldogs, 25-27, 25-22, 25-23, 25-22. With the win, LIU improves to 4-2 in Northeast Conference play, 7-11 overall.

The game was a battle right from first serve, as LIU and Bryant traded points immediately. That set the tone for the first game, as the game would see 16 tie scores and the lead change hands six different times before anyone came out on top. Back-to-back service aces from sophomore Viktoria Fink gave the Blackbirds an early 3-1 lead, but the Bulldogs would come back to tie it right up. Another 4-0 run by the Blackbirds, including kills from junior Alexandra Lilliquist and sophomore Jiayi Zhang would widen the gap back up to 7-3, but as would continue to be the case, the Bulldogs came rallying back. The two teams traded back and forth for the remainder of the set, including at the final moments. LIU fought back from two set points to keep hope alive, but in the end, Bryant took the first set win, 27-25, and the early match lead, 1-0.

Bryant rode that momentum into set two, taking an early 2-1 lead. LIU was able to keep it close, until the Bulldogs started to pull away, up 15-14. Five unanswered points by Bryant widened the lead to 20-14, and eventually, 21-15. But the Blackbirds started to chip away at the lead. A kill by Fink as a part of a 3-0 run helped close the gap to 21-18, and then, down 18-22, LIU staged a huge rally. A kill from Zhang sparked the run, ash LIU would score seven straight points to rally from behind, and take the set two victory, 25-22.

With the match knotted up 1-1, set three continued the pattern, being close from the start. LIU would eventually take the lead, 10-9 on a kill from freshman Katharina Krepper. The Blackbirds followed that with a block from Krepper and Zhang, and a kill from Lilliquist made it 12-9. The Blackbirds never looked back. A short time later, a 5-0 run widened the gap for good. Jiayi Zhang had three straight service aces as a part of the run, helping LIU go up, 19-11. Though Bryant would rally to close the distance, and came within one point, 23-24, a kill from Lilliquist ended the set, 25-23 in favor of LIU, giving the Blackbirds the 2-1 match lead.

With the momentum firmly in hand for the home team, LIU came out on fire in the fourth set. Krepper and Zhang combined for three blocks in a row that would give the Blackbirds the 4-0 lead. Bryant called a time out, and managed a kill on the next play, but then another 4-0 run by LIU widened the lead even further. Fink had back-to-back service aces again, helping the Blackbirds go up, 8-1. Bryant would rally back to come within three, 21-19, but LIU would answer with a 3-0 run. A kill by LIlliquist and another ace by Zhang gave the Blackbirds match point, 24-19. Keeping it interesting, Bryant would score three points to threaten the lead, 24-22, but a kill from Lilliquist ended it, 25-22, giving the Blackbirds the 3-1 victory.

Junior Alexandra Lilliquist led LIU with 19 kills, along with 12 digs, while sophomore Viktoria Fink had 11 kills, 14 digs and five service aces. Sophomore Jiayi Zhang had a career-high six service aces, along with seven kills and seven blocks, while freshman Katharina Krepper had a career-high 10 blocks for the Blackbirds. Freshman Amanda Hubbard had 33 assists in the win, while freshman Natalia Rivera had 25 digs.

Up next, the Blackbirds host CCSU, Sunday, October 16 at 1 p.m.