SPARTANBURG, S.C. - No. 1 Lynn volleyball continued its scorching start to the season at the Valkyries Invitational on Friday, overpowering Erskine with a dominant 3-0 sweep before grinding out a competitive 3-0 win over Converse. With Nadia Rossi's steady offensive firepower and Valentina Mogg's serving heroics leading the charge, the Fighting Knights moved to 6-0, displaying both offensive efficiency and late-set composure to remain perfect on the young season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Erskine):
- Lynn rolled to a 3-0 sweep over Erskine on the road with set scores of 25-5, 25-12, 25-15
- The Fighting Knights posted a .425 hitting percentage (42 kills on 80 swings) while holding the Flying Fleet to -.051 (11 kills, 15 errors on 78 attempts)
- Lynn controlled every category: kills (42-11), aces (11-4), blocks (6-1), assists (39-11) and digs (46-25)
- The Blue and White ripped off a 13-2 opening burst in set one, highlighted by three kills and a block from sophomore Lillia Neill
- Down the stretch, Lynn dominated with a 12-3 run which included five kills, two Erskine attack errors, a block and a trio of aces from freshman Valentina Mogg to take the first set 12-5
- After Erskine took an early 3-1 lead in the second set, the Fighting Knights led a 20-4 surge behind three kills from graduate student Nadia Rossi and Mogg's exquisite serving to take the lead, 21-7
- The Blue and White were rolling at end the second set as Mogg and graduate student Brooke Jackson delivered back-to-back kills to seal set two, 25-12
- Erskine managed its largest lead at 8-4 early in the third, but the Fighting Knights responded with an 9-0 rally led by the trio of Mogg, Rossi and junior Laney Wilson to regain control, 13-8
- With Lynn firmly in the driver's seat, the Blue and White never looked back as Jackson capped off the match with a massive solo rejection to finish off the sweep, 25-15
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS (Erskine):
- Rossi dominated with 13 kills on a match-best .524 hitting, adding three aces and seven digs
- Rossi currently ranks top five in the Sunshine State Conference in kills per set with a 3.56 average
- Neill, Mogg, and Wilson each finished with seven kills apiece
- Mogg also served up a match-high six aces to bring her total to 12 on the season (tied for third in the SSC)
- Sophomore Ula Gorjup kept the Lynn offense running with 33 assists while also tacking on a solo block
- junior libero Clara Maidantchik anchored the back row with a team-best 19 digs while also capitalizing on a service ace
- Collectively, Lynn has rallied for 10 or more service aces in three of its matches so far this season (11 against Erskine)
- Five different Fighting Knights were credited for a block in the win (Rossi, Wilson, Jackson, Neill, Gorjup)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Converse):
- In a hard-fought 3-0 win, Lynn emerged victorious over Converse with set scores of 25-23, 25-17, 25-14
- The Fighting Knights held the advantage in nearly every category including kills (40-30), hitting percentage (.267-.133), assists (37-25), aces (8-5) and digs (53-42)
- Converse raced out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set, setting the tone early
- The Fighting Knights rallied for a speedy 4-0 run, spearheaded by two kills from Mogg to tie the set up at 7-7
- The frame proved to be a battle until the very end with the set all knotted up at 22-22 before a Valkyrie attack error gave the Blue and White the opening they needed
- Wilson and Laney delivered the final two kills for Lynn, earning the Fighting Knights a hard-fought victory in the first set, 25-23
- The second set looked to be as tightly contested as the first with the Fighting Knights and Valkyries going back and forth until a kill from Gorjup put Lynn up by four early, 9-5
- Converse continued to make the set close, coming within one at 16-15, before the Blue and White built an eight point cushion on a 7-0 run that included a pair of kills from Neill and back-to-back aces from Maidantchik
- Gorjup connected Rossi and Neill for back-to-back kills at the end of the frame to lock up the set for the Fighting Knights, 25-17
- The third set started off similarly to the first and second with Lynn and Converse all tied up at 6-6
- A well-placed kill by Wilson kick-started a massive 12-2 run for the Blue and White, giving Lynn an 18-8 advantage in the blink of an eye
- Lynn never looked back in the third set, closing out the match on a 4-0 spurt that included two kills and a block from Neill, 25-14
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Rossi led the Fighting Knight attack with 10 kills while also notching seven digs
- Rossi has recorded double-digit kills in four of her six starts so far in 2025
- Neill finished the match with nine kills while hitting a team-best .412
- Gorjup tallied 29 assists to bring her season total to 192 through six contests
- Maidantchik led the match in digs with 16, keeping balls in play for the Blue and White
- Mogg did a little bit of everything on the floor, racking up four service aces, eight kills and 11 digs
- The Fighting Knights have now recorded their second consecutive season with a 6-0 start
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights return to Spartanburg tomorrow for their final appearance in the 2025 Valkyries Invitational as Lynn faces off with Fayetteville State at 10 a.m.