BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team bounced back from a loss in the morning session to close out the 2016 Brooklyn Dazzler Blackbird Invitational with a win, beating NJIT, 3-0. LIU fell to nationally-ranked No. 8 Florida in the second match of the day, 3-0.

#8 Florida 3, LIU Brooklyn 0
In the first game of the day, the Blackbirds fell to No.8 Florida, 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-18). Junior Alexandra Lilliquist led LIU with 14 kills, while freshman Amanda Hubbard had 22 assists.

In the first set, the Blackbirds used back-to-back kills from Lilliquist to take a 3-1 lead over the Gators. Florida used two straight kills of its own to tie it up, 3-3, and the battle waged on. A UF mistake, followed by a kill from Lilliquist and a service ace from senior Alex Larsen, and LIU was up once more, 6-3.  But a 7-0 run by the Gators saw the visiting team go up, 10-6, and Florida would stay in control from there. Another 5-0 run widened the gap to 15-7, and though LIU would capitalize on Florida's mistakes to score two points right away, it would not be enough. The Gators would take the first set on a kill, 25-14, earning the 1-0 match advantage.

Florida's hitters came out to play in the second set, using six straight kills to help the Gators take an 8-1 lead over the Blackbirds. LIU would start to battle back, using two kills from Lilliquist and another ace from Larsen to cut the gap to three points, 9-6. Another 4-0 run for the Gators made it 15-7, and not long after, Florida was able to string together another spree of five straight points to go up, 23-11, and eventually win the set, 25-14.

Set three was the closest of the day for the Blackbirds, and started out that way. Two kills from Lilliquist helped give LIU the 4-2 lead, before Florida would come back to score four straight points and go up, 6-4. Later in the set, a kill from freshman Katharina Krepper cut the lead to one point, 11-10, and then a kill from Larsen and a Florida error tied the set up, 12-12. But the Gators answered with a 9-0 run, taking control of the set, 21-12. Though the Blackbirds would score late points, it would not be enough to regain control, and Florida won the third set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0.

LIU Brooklyn 3, NJIT 0
In the second game of the day, LIU dominated NJIT for nearly the entire match, winning 25-13, 25-18, 25-20.
 
The Blackbirds set a strong note right from the start, using a service ace from freshman Emily Magee to take the 1-0 lead. From there, the two teams battled back and forth. It wasn't until the score was tied, 5-5, that LIU was able to go up for. An ace from Lilliquist started the run, and Liu would go on to score five unanswered points, taking the lead, 9-5. Another run later in the set included kills from Lilliquist and Larsen, widening LIU's lead to 18-10. The Blackbirds ended the set on a 6-1 tear, including an ace from Larsen and back-to-back kills from Lilliquist to give LIU the 25-13 set win.
 
NJIT came out in the second set to open with a kill, and eventually went up, 5-1. The Highlanders continued to lead, widening the gap to 9-3, before LIU came fighting back. The Blackbirds scored five straight points to cut the lead to 9-8, and kept it close from there. NJIT led for most of the set, until a late run gave LIU the advantage. Down 16-14, LIU used a kill from Larsen to spark a run. The Blackbirds would score nine unanswered points, with kills from Sonja Vukosavljevic and Lilliquist, taking a 23-16 lead. From there, it only took one more kill each from Larsen and Vukosavljevic to end the set, 25-18 in LIU's favor, giving the home team a 2-0 advantage.
 
Set three would prove to be the closest of the entire tournament, as the score was tied 17 times, and the lead changed hands seven different times.  Both team struggled with errors, and LIU wouldn't take the lead for good until the end of the set. Tied, 19-19, a kill from Vukosavljevic gave the Blackbirds a spark. Liu would rally to score four straight points, taking the 23-19 lead. NJIT called a timeout, and scored on a block coming out of the break, but two more Highlander errors put an end to the set in favor of LIU, 25-20, giving the Blackbirds a 3-0 sweep.
 
Senior Alex Larsen led Liu with 12 kills, seven digs and three service aces, while junior Alexandra Lilliquist had 10 kills and nine digs. Both upperclassmen were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts.
 
Up next, the Blackbirds head south to take part in the University of South Florida Invitational, Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18.
 
2016 Brooklyn Dazzler Blackbird Invitational All-Tournament Team
Alex Larsen, LIU
Alexandra Lilliquist, LIU
Kayla Principato, Denver
Nola Basey, Denver
Rhamat Alhassan, Florida
Allie Monserez, Florida
Anna Rodrigues, NJIT
Adriana Nieto, NJIT