Lynn University

WALTHAM, Mass. - No. 18 Lynn volleyball closed out the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon, sweeping No. 22 Bentley 3-0 (25-7, 25-12, 25-14). The Fighting Knights hit a blistering .449 for the match while holding the nationally ranked Falcons to a .048 clip as Lynn improved to 2-1 on the young season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1:
- Lynn set the tone immediately, jumping out to a 2-0 lead behind kills from Lira Pukl Verdel and Audrey Shaw
- After Bentley cut the lead to 2-1, the Fighting Knights erupted for 10 consecutive points to take complete control at 12-1
- Pukl Verdel recorded two kills and back-to-back service aces during the run, while Zara Rendic added three kills and Shaw contributed another
- Lynn continued to pull away with a 6-0 run that extended the advantage to 18-2, highlighted by a Lillia Neill/Rendic block, a Clara Maidantchik service ace and another Rendic kill
- Bentley pulled within 23-7 late in the frame before Pukl Verdel and Alexia Radulovic delivered consecutive kills to close out the 25-7 victory
- The Fighting Knights hit .444 with 13 kills and just one attack error while holding Bentley to a -.097 hitting percentage
 
Set 2:
- Bentley scored the opening point, but Lynn quickly responded with three straight points behind two Radulovic kills and a Pukl Verdel service ace
- The Falcons battled back to tie the frame at 4-4 before the Fighting Knights began to create separation and moved ahead 11-7
- Madison Jones took over from the service line, fueling a 9-0 Lynn run that blew the set open and extended the advantage to 20-7
- Jones recorded four service aces during the run, while Pukl Verdel added two kills, Rendic contributed a kill and Shaw/Gorjup combined for a block
- Bentley never pulled closer than 11 points the rest of the way as Radulovic finished the frame with a kill to secure a 25-12 victory
- Lynn posted its best offensive set of the match, hitting .522 with 13 kills and only one attack error
 
Set 3:
- The teams traded points early before consecutive kills from Rendic and Neill gave Lynn its first multi-point advantage at 5-3
- Bentley remained within two at 7-5 before Lynn began to pull away, with Pukl Verdel adding a pair of kills and Ula Gorjup firing back-to-back service aces to help build a 12-6 lead
- Lynn extended its advantage to 17-8 behind kills from Radulovic, Shaw and Rendic
- The Falcons cut the deficit to 17-11, but the Fighting Knights answered with a 5-0 run capped by a Neill kill to push the lead to 22-11
- Rendic brought Lynn to match point with a service ace before Neill delivered the final kill to complete the 25-14 set victory and the 3-0 sweep
- The Fighting Knights totaled a match-high 16 kills in the final frame while hitting .393
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lynn hit .449 as a team with 42 kills and just seven attack errors on 78 attempts while holding Bentley to 18 kills and a .048 hitting percentage
- Pukl Verdel led all players with 12 kills on a .526 hitting percentage while adding a match-high 15 digs and three service aces for her second double-double of the season
- Rendic finished with 10 kills while hitting .391 and added two assists, three digs and a service ace
- Radulovic posted eight kills on a .353 hitting percentage
- Neill was nearly flawless offensively, hitting a team-best .750 with six kills on eight attempts without an error while adding two total blocks
- Shaw added five kills while hitting .300 and contributed two block assists
- Gorjup directed the offense with 34 assists while adding five digs and two service aces
- Jones led Lynn's dominant effort from the service line with four aces, all coming during the Fighting Knights' decisive second-set run
- Lynn held a 42-18 advantage in kills, 39-17 edge in assists and 45-26 advantage in digs
- The Blue and White finished with a commanding 12-1 advantage in service aces and held a 4-2 edge in total blocks
- Lynn finished the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament with a 2-1 record, earning sweeps over Central Missouri and No. 22 Bentley
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights return to South Florida for next weekend's Barry Invitational tournament in Miami Shores. Lynn opens up play in the tournament with Lubbock Christian on Friday, Sept. 4 at 4:45 pm.