By By Drew Buono
Not even a new conference opponent could stop the Pride volleyball team from its undefeated conference start.
The Pride is 4-0 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play, matching its best start since joining the conference with weekend victories over UNC Wilmington and CAA newcomer Georgia State University (GSU).
After starting strong last weekend with two impressive wins over conference rivals George Mason University and James Madison University, the Pride continued its great play by easily dispatching the Seahawks and Panthers. What was even more impressive was the fact that the Pride not only had to travel to both sites to play the games on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, but it swept both opponents.
Despite hot and humid playing conditions, the travel-weary Pride beat Georgia State (31-29, 30-17, 30-22).
“The temperature was outrageous, but we love it hot” Pride head coach Fran Kalafer said, referring to the inside of the Georgia State Sports Arena.
The match marked the first time the two teams met not only in conference play but also in program history. The Pride had a fantastic .306 hitting percentage for the week including a .378 percentage against UNC Wilmington and a .328 percentage against GSU. After the game, when Kalafer learned of the statistics for the week, she credited the team for playing “great offense.”
Junior middle blocker Elizabeth Curley led the charge with 11 kills and a .409 hitting percentage against the Panthers less than 48 hours after she torched Wilmington for a team-high 13 kills and an absurd .600 hitting percentage, a week that Kalafer described as “great”.
Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Beyersdorff chipped in with eight kills and no errors, while junior libero Catherine Durakis tallied a team high 14 digs, giving her a total of 38 during the weekend road trip.
“It’s her [Durakis’] job as libero to come up with the big defensive plays,” Kalafer said.
The Blue & Gold had a great start to the match, taking an early 5-1 lead in the first game. The team was playing pretty well until it let the Panthers (1-8, 1-3 CAA) come back and take the lead late in the match. With the score 28-27 in favor of GSU, the Pride (6-5, 4-0) scored four out of the next five points to take the match, 31-29.
The second game symbolized how the rest of the match would unfold. After an early tie, the Pride scored 12 of the next 17 points to take a 15-8 lead. And the team never looked back as the score quickly became 20-10 and the Pride continued it’s second game dominance winning, 30-17.
With another sweep on the horizon, the two teams started the third and final game. Early on, the game was on the seesaw with both teams exchanging the lead. With the score tied at 11, the Blue & Gold went on a 4-0 run that was quickly answered by a Panthers 4-1 run of their own to make the score 16-15 in favor of the Pride. The Pride then then opened the floodgates, scoring six of the next eight points and ultimately taking the game, 30-22, and more importantly the match.
Alex Blenche had a double-double for GSU, totaling a team-high 15 kills and 12 digs. Jordan Thomas also contributed with 30 assists for the Panthers.
It was important for the Pride to get these two roads wins, especially after losing at home to St. John’s University last Wednesday. The Red Storm defeated the Pride, 3-1, in the fourth annual Queens-Nassau Cup Match, the first time the St. John’s had won in the series. “It’s always tough losing a game,” Kalafer said. “But you learn more from a loss than a win.”

Beverly Rivera played a key role in the Pride´s weekend wins. (Photo Courtesy Athletic Dept.)