BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team notched its first win of the 2016 season Saturday in the Steinberg Wellness Center, beating NJIT 3-1, in its first match at the 2016 Brooklyn Dazzler Blackbird Invitational. The Blackbirds dropped their second match of the day to Denver, 3-0, to end the first day with a split.
 
LIU Brooklyn 3, NJIT 1
In LIU's home opener, the Blackbirds rallied from a first set loss to beat the Highlanders, 3-1 (15-25, 25-23, 25-16). The game got off to a slow start for LIU, as NJIT came out and went up 3-1. The Blackbirds used a solo block from freshman Katharina Krepper and a kill from senior Alex Larsen to tie the set up, 3-3, and the two teams battled from there. The first set was a close one for the first half, as the score would tie nine different times. LIU took the lead briefly on a kill from Larsen, 8-7, but NJIT answered with a kill right away to stay close. The Highlanders would use a 4-0 run to go up for good, 15-12. From there, NJIT led for the duration, including a 5-0 run that would widen the lead to 20-14. The visitors ended the set with a 5-0 run, taking the win, 25-15.
 
The second set was even more of a battle than the first. NJIT once again went up early, 4-1, and eventually widened that lead to 11-6. The Blackbirds started to battle back down 10-15. A kill by junior Alex Lilliquist sparked the run for LIU, and the Blackbirds would four unanswered points to close the lead to just one point. From there, NJIT continued to lead, but LIU would never let that lead grow to more than three points. A late surge from the Blackbirds proved to be the difference in the set. Down, 19-22, LIU used a kill from sophomore Jiayi Zhang to start a comeback. Back-to-back kills from Larsen made it 21-22, and a service ace by freshman Emily Magee tied the set up, 22-22. NJIT answered with a kill to retake the lead, but the Blackbirds would score three straight points to take the set win, 25-23, and tie the match up, 1-1.
 
The Blackbirds rode momentum from the second set into the third. Though NJIT scored first, LIU matched the Highlanders right away, and took a 3-1 lead. The two teams went back and forth from there, with the score tying six times, and the lead changing hands four times. NJIT's widest lead of the set came on on a block, 13-10, but that point also marked the start of LIU's rally. Kills from freshman Katharina Krepper, Lilliquist and Larsen would tie the set up, 13-13, and another service ace from Magee widened the lead to 15-13. Just two points later, LIU went on a 5-0 run, with back-to-back kills from Lilliquist giving the Blackbirds the 19-14 advantage. Though NJIT would attempt to battle back, LIU was able to take the third set, 25-20, and the 2-1 match advantage.
 
With two set wins under their belt, the Blackbirds settled in for the fourth set, and came out on fire. A kill from Zhang gave LIU the 1-0 lead, and from there, the Blackbirds never trailed.  LIU would open the set on a 4-1 run, and only widened the lead from there. A service ace by freshman Natalia Rivera gave the Blackbirds a 16-7 lead, what would be LIU's widest lead of the day thus far. But the Blackbirds had more gas in the tank, and finished the set widening the lead to 25-16, taking the match, 3-1.
 
Senior Alex Larsen led LIU with a double-double, with 12 kills and 10 digs, along with five total blocks. Junior Alex Lilliquist had 13 kills to lead the team and three blocks, while sophomore Jiayi Zhang had 10 kills. Freshman Amanda Hubbard paced the offense with 35 assists and three service aces, while freshman Natalia Rivera led the defense with 20 digs. Freshmen Katharina Krepper and Fillipa Hansson had six blocks apiece, including four solo blocks for Hansson.
 
Denver 3, LIU 0
In the night cap, the Pioneers took the win over LIU, 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-21). Zhang led the Blackbirds with 10 kills, while Hubbard had a double-double, with 29 assists and 11 digs.
 
The game started well for LIU, with two straight blocks from Krepper, putting the Blackbirds up, 2-0. But the Pioneers answered with three straight points to take the lead for the first time. LIU would keep it close, rallying from a 3-6 deficit to tie it up once more, 6-6, and then again, 11-11. Denver then used four straight kills to widen the gap to 17-12, and stayed up from there. Though LIU would keep it close, the Pioneers outscored the Blackbirds 4-1 down the home stretch, taking the first set win, 25-19.
 
Denver rode that first set momentum into the second, taking an early 3-1 lead. The Pioneers stayed up, and widened the gap midway through the set. Up 11-8, Denver outscored LIU 9-1 over the next stretch, going up 20-9. From there, another 4-1 run ended the set in favor of the visitors, 25-12.
 
The third set was the strongest of the night for the Blackbirds. The two teams were close right from the start, and LIU managed to stay there. A 7-1 run by the Pioneers would put them up, 12-5, and eventually the lead widened to 18-8, but LIU was able to rally late.  Just three points from the end of the match, 22-12, LIU rallied to score three straight points, on kills from Zhang and Larsen. The Blackbirds weren't done fighting. Over the final stretch, LIU outscored Denver 6-2, cutting the lead down to just four points. But in the end, the Pioneers were too close to catch, and took the third set, 25-21, and the match, 3-0.
 
Up next, the Blackbirds take on #8 Florida, Sunday, September 11 at 12 p.m., before capping the tournament with a rematch against NJIT at 6 p.m.