Box Score 9/21/23

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Northampton Community College remained unbeaten in the early portion of its season, whipping Lackawnana College on Thursday evening, 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-17), at the Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium in Scranton.
 
The Falcons (5-5) struggled in the first set, as the Spartans (4-0) rotated with precision and had a strong game at the net to keep Lackawanna off balance. It wasn't initially that way, as the Falcons held an early 6-5 advantage after a great Zoe Ortueta (First Year; Miami, FL) pancake forced Northampton to fumble with the ball in their own half. But a kill, followed by a block at the net, gave Northampton a 7-6 advantage. Those points were the first two of six straight that put the Spartans in front 11-6 and forced a timeout from the Falcons. Northampton continued to get kills and clutch blocks at the net. The Falcons scored here and there, getting kills from Nadia Toth (First Year; East Benton, PA) and Angelique Fuentes (First Year; Miami, FL), but the Spartans continued to expand their lead, eventually pulling away for the 25-13 set one win.
 
In set two, the Falcons woke up and gave Northampton a fight. Both teams battled back and forth, fighting tooth-and-nail for every point early. Northampton eventually pulled ahead 15-11, but the Falcons closed the gap quickly thanks to some rotation and hitting errors from the Spartans. A Fuentes kill tied the set at 15, and a Toth kill gave Lackawanna a 16-15 advantage. Neither team could gain more than a point-advantage until Northampton took a 22-20 lead. Trailing 24-20, the Falcons tried one more rally, getting a Gabriela Gomez (First Year; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) kill and another point to get within two, but a kill attempt from Northampton beat the Falcons block and ended set two.
 
It was the Falcons who took very early control in set three, scoring the first three points to jump out in front. The lead got as high as 5-2, but Northampton responded with seven of the next eight points, taking a 9-6 lead and forcing a Lackawanna timeout. Much like the first set, the Northampton lead continued to expand in set three, as the Spartans opened a 14-7 lead. Lackawanna got within five twice, but that was as close as it'd get the rest of the way, as Northampton cruised to the win.
 
Lackawanna College gets an even tougher match-up in its next two games, when the Falcons travel to Raritan Valley for a tri-match against Bergen CC and Raritan Valley on Saturday, September 23^rd, starting at 12:00pm ET in New Jersey.