SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the second time on Saturday, the Lynn Fighting Knights are national champions. The Fighting Knight volleyball program won its first title with a thrilling five-set win (25-22, 25-22, 16-25, 16-25, 15-13) over San Francisco State on Saturday night.
After narrow wins in the first two sets, the Gators rallied to send the match into a deciding fifth set. The resilient Blue and White hit .345 in the final frame without committing an error to win the championship.
Samantha Wolf, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Tournament, posted a double-double with 17 kills and 13 digs while a total of five different Fighting Knights contributed 10+ kills.
Lynn finishes its National Championship season at 33-3. Earlier on Saturday, the Lynn men's soccer team won the NCAA Tournament on the most historic day in Fighting Knight history.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1: Lynn, 25-22
- Wolf started the final with a kill
- The Gators went on a 3-0 runs for an 8-6 lead
- Fabia Gonzalez Stanton's kill brought Lynn within one, 12-11
- The Fighting Knights found themselves down by three, 21-18
- Kills by Stanton and Aline Olegario helped Lynn tie the game
- Down 22-21, the Blue and Went went on a 4-0 run to win the set, 25-22
- Two kills by Stanton during the run, including the set-clincher gave Lynn the opening game
Set 2: Lynn, 25-22
- The second set had 18 ties and seven lead changes
- Lynn hit .486 in the set
- The Gators led 5-3 early in the frame
- Ula Gorjup's kill helped Lynn tie the set, while Olegario and Samantha Blahut each posted kills on passes from Gorjup for a 7-6 Lynn lead
- Back and forth action ensued and the Gators led by two late in the set, 22-20
- Stanton's kill started a 5-0 run, as Olegario added two consecutive kills and Wolf won the set with a kill of her own
Set 3: San Francisco State, 25-16
- Maria Cecilia Pinho opened the third set with back-to-back kills
- The Gators used a 6-0 run to lead by five, 10-5
- San Francisco State again doubled up the Fighting Knights at 18-9
- Wolf and Gorjup posted kills as Lynn's deficit shrunk to eight, 23-15
- The Gators won the set on a kill to send the match to a fourth set
Set 4: San Francisco State, 25-16
- Lynn opened the set strong, as three kills by Cecilia Pinho helped the Blue and White take a 4-1 advantage
- An 8-3 Gator spurt gave the seven seed a 12-7 lead
- Down 23-12, two kills by Wolf highlights a 4-0 Lynn run before SF won the set
Set 5: Lynn, 15-13
- Wolf posted a kill and Gorjup followed with a block to take a 2-1 lead
- The Gators led 7-6 before two kills by Olegario held the Fighting Knights retake the lead
- Wolf posted three kills over a four-point span for a 12-9 Lynn advantage
- Cecilia Pinho followed with two kills to bring a championship point to Lynn, 14-11
- The Gators fought off two championship points
- Gorjup fed Cecilia Pinho for a kill and Lynn's first national championship, 15-13
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Head coach Adam Milewski's team finished the season with a record of 33-3, including an 8-0 record on neutral courts
- Isabella Gentile had a game-high 27 digs and added two aces
- Stanton posted a double-double with 12 kills and 25 digs
- Gorjup had 54 assists
- Blahut had 10 kills on .381 hitting, adding three blocks and three digs
- Three Fighting Knights posted over 300 kills on the season (Wolf – 457, Cecilia Pinho – 386, Olegario – 305)
ALL-TOURNAMENT FIGHTING KNIGHTS:
- Samantha Wolf (MVP)
- Ula Gorjup
- Isabella Gentile
- Aline Olegario
Courtesy of Lynn Athletic Communications