BROOKLYN, N.Y. --- The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team capped off its 2017 home opener with an impressive straight set victory (25-14, 25-9, 25-12) over the Marist College Red Foxes Friday evening at the Steinberg Wellness Center.

Junior Nina Petranovic led the team with a season-high 16 kills and also added 11 digs to earn her team-leading fourth double-double. Petranovic's kills total nearly matched Marist's amount as a team (18). Sophomore Amanda Hubbard finished the night with 30 assists and sophomore Natalia Rivera led all players with 18 digs. 

The Blackbirds looked strong after such a long road stretch to begin the season. LIU won the first set by its largest margin of the year. Petranovic had three of the team's first five points on a pair of aces and a kill as LIU took a 5-1 lead to start Set 1. The Blackbirds would double their advantage from four to eight points after a kill by sophomore Filippa Hansson gave the hosts a 16-8 edge. A service ace from sophomore Emily Magee put LIU up by double digits (18-8) and Marist conceded the set after a service error.

LIU immediately bested its margin of victory mark with an even more dominant second set. LIU opened an 8-1 lead as the Blackbirds' offense converted seven of the eight points (six kills, one service ace). Senior Sonja Vukosavljevic scored on a pair of attacks in the middle of the set - one to force Marist into a timeout at 16-7 and another to give LIU a ten-point lead at 17-7. The Blackbirds would close out the Red Foxes with a final 8-2 surge.

The final set kept the Blackbirds' dominance going and secured the home triumph. Four kills and service ace gave LIU the set's first five points unanswered and the team took a 15-4 lead after a kill from redshirt sophomore Julia Azevedo. LIU posted its biggest lead of the set at 21-6 after Petranoivic earned her final kill of the night and Hansson ended the match with a kill of her own.