Lynn University

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - No. 21 Lynn volleyball opened this weekend's Barry Invitational with a convincing straight-set victory Friday evening, defeating Lubbock Christian 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-16) in Miami Shores. The Fighting Knights hit .278 for the match, recorded 10 service aces and held the Lady Chaps to a .088 hitting percentage as Lynn improved to 3-1 on the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1:
- The teams traded points early before consecutive Lubbock Christian errors and a Lira Pukl Verdel kill helped Lynn turn a 5-4 advantage into an 8-4 lead
- The Blue and White continued to create separation and eventually carried a 17-12 advantage into the latter stages of the frame
- Ella Voorhees delivered a service ace before consecutive Lubbock Christian attack errors and a Zara Rendic ace extended Lynn's advantage to 21-13
- Lillia Neill and Audrey Shaw added late kills before Shaw and Pukl Verdel combined for a block to bring Lynn to set point
- Madison Jones finished the opening frame with a service ace as the Fighting Knights secured a 25-15 victory
- Lynn hit .226 with 12 kills while limiting Lubbock Christian to eight kills and a .032 hitting percentage
 
Set 2:
- Lubbock Christian grabbed an early 6-3 advantage before Lynn began working its way back into the frame
- The Lady Chaps extended their lead to 11-7, but the Fighting Knights responded with five straight points, highlighted by an Audrey Shaw kill and a Ula Gorjup service ace, to take a 12-11 advantage
- The teams continued trading momentum and were tied at 15-15 before a Neill kill and Rendic winner helped Lynn move ahead 17-16
- Lynn stretched its lead to 19-17 behind another Neill kill and a Rendic service ace
- Lubbock Christian remained within one at 20-19, but the Fighting Knights used a 3-0 run capped by an Alexia Radulovic kill to build a 23-19 advantage
- Pukl Verdel delivered a kill to bring Lynn to set point before Radulovic closed the frame with another kill for a 25-21 victory
 
Set 3:
- Lynn came out firing in the third set as Pukl Verdel recorded a kill and service ace before Shaw added a kill to give the Fighting Knights an immediate 3-0 advantage
- Lubbock Christian answered to tie the set at 3-3 and again at 5-5, but Lynn regained control and never trailed the rest of the way
- With Lynn leading 9-8, the Fighting Knights rattled off four straight points behind a Radulovic kill, a Lubbock Christian attack error and Pukl Verdel service ace to push the advantage to 13-8
- Lynn later used another run to extend its lead to 17-11, highlighted by consecutive Lubbock Christian errors and a Neill/Gorjup block
- Jones helped put the match out of reach from the service line, recording an ace as the Fighting Knights pushed their advantage to 21-13
- Radulovic brought Lynn within two points of the sweep with a kill before Pukl Verdel delivered the match-clinching kill for a 25-16 victory
- Lynn saved its best offensive performance for the final set, hitting .500 with 12 kills and just two attack errors
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lynn hit .278 with 37 kills and 12 attack errors while holding Lubbock Christian to a .088 hitting percentage and 27 kills
- Pukl Verdel led Lynn with 10 kills and added five digs, two service aces and two total blocks
- Radulovic delivered an efficient performance with nine kills and no attack errors on 15 attempts for a match-best .600 hitting percentage
- Rendic finished with seven kills on a .263 hitting percentage while adding eight digs and a match-high three service aces
- Neill contributed six kills and a team-high three total blocks
- Shaw hit .444 with four kills and added a block assist
- Gorjup directed the Lynn offense with 29 assists while adding six digs, a kill, an ace and a block assist
- Haidyn Spano led the Fighting Knights defensively with a match-high 11 digs and added four assists
- Lynn held a 37-27 advantage in kills, a 37-22 edge in assists and a 39-36 advantage in digs
- The Blue and White posted a commanding 10-2 advantage in service aces and held a 4-3 edge in total blocks
- Lynn has now won three of its first four matches, with all three victories coming in straight sets
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights return to Miami Shores on Saturday, Sept. 5 for a pair of marquee matchups including a 12:15 pm showdown with top-ranked St. Cloud State as well as a 4:45 pm matchup with Converse to close out the weekend stretch.