By: Valentina Toro
Managing Editor
The Owls defeated Pace University in straight sets on Nov. 3, at Pelz Gymnasium, clinching the No. 4 seed and a home quarterfinal match in the NE10 Conference tournament.
The university won 25-7, 25-19 and 25-17. The Owls established an early lead behind their serving and maintained pressure at the net as Pace attempted to respond in the final two sets.
“We really wanted to be able to keep them out of system on serve,” Head Coach Lisa Barbaro said. “I think early on, that really worked for us.”
The university took the opening set 25-7, recording 14 kills and one attack error. Setter Katie Bardak, a junior, had five kills in the set, while Pace struggled to put together scoring runs against the university’s offense.
Pace stayed within two points late in the second set, trailing 18-16 before the Owls finished on a 7-3 run. The 25-19 result put the university one set away from completing the sweep, after a closer stretch of play than in the opening set.
The Setters led 4-1 early in the third set and held an 11-9 advantage before the Owls scored six consecutive points with outside hitter Victoria Pascual, a senior, serving. The university kept the lead and closed the match 25-17.
Setter Kimi Mitchell, a sophomore, said communication and fewer unforced errors contributed to the result. The team had focused on those areas during practice as it prepared for the final stretch of the regular season.
“I think tonight we did a great job just playing together as a team and limiting our errors, our unforced errors,” Mitchell said. “We did a good job communicating and just finding ways to score.”
Mitchell finished with 27 assists, seven kills and eight digs. Bardak recorded 10 kills, and middle blocker Sarah Stark, a senior, contributed seven blocks. The Owls totaled 41 kills compared with Pace’s 26, according to the university’s athletics recap.
Barbaro said the team worked on using its middle hitters and maintaining offensive pressure throughout the match.
She said those priorities would remain important as the Owls prepared for the conference tournament.
The game also served as the first “Serve and Honor Night” recognizing military veterans and first responders.
The team visited the Veterans Affairs Hospital in West Haven earlier in the week as part of a community service initiative. Several veterans who met the players during that visit traveled to campus to attend the match.
“I think it’s great that we get to be here and support and honor them,” Mitchell said. “We’re very blessed to have people who go out and serve for this country.”
The victory reflected the team’s progress heading into postseason competition. Barbaro said maintaining offensive pressure and team energy would remain priorities as the Owls prepare for the playoffs.
“We’re in a good place right now as we head into playoffs and stuff next week,” Barbaro said. “Just about keeping high energy, staying within ourselves, continuing to attack and using all of our offensive threats.”
