BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Holy Cross volleyball team got a pair of double-double performances by junior Abbie Lane and sophomore Rachel Johnson as the Crusaders were defeated 3-0 by host FAU before capturing their first victory of the 2023 season, a 3-1 win over reigning NEC Champion FDU on Friday in Baldwin Arena.

Lane produced a team-high 10 kills to go with 10 digs in the setback to the Owls while Johnson was a threat on the offensive and defensive end for the Crusaders in the game two decision with a contest-best 13 kills and a team-high 14 digs.
 
MATCH ONE SET SCORES:

• Owls 3, Crusaders 0 (22-25, 18-25, 16-25)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross trailed by three in the opening set and ended up taking the lead 12-11 due to back-to-back attack errors. A block by senior Sanaea Simmons and Johnson pushed the Crusaders ahead by two, 15-13. Four straight by FAU put them back in the lead at 17-15 as Holy Cross took a timeout. The run expanded to 5-0 via an Owl ace then junior Rian Millership and Simmons rejected an attack attempt to stop the burst at 18-16. FAU led by four and the Crusaders battled back to drop the deficit to two, 23-21. An FAU kill clinched the first set victory.
• Five of the first seven Crusader points in the second set came off opponent miscues until Johnson powered a kill to double up their counterparts 8-4. The Owls notched three straight aces with an error to level the set at 8-8. The set was tied 10-10 and FAU produced four in a row to establish a four point 14-10 margin. Johnson dropped the deficit to three until the hosts upped the lead to 18-13. The Owls won the second set 25-18.
• The Crusaders started fast in the third set taking an early 3-0 edge due to a junior Sarah Stokes ace, a sophomore Gracie Resiman and Johnson block and a Reisman kill. Holy Cross had a 7-6 lead until the Owls marched back tallying five straight to lead 11-7. The lead stayed at four 14-10 in the middle stages of the set. Back-to-back Crusader points pulled them within three at 18-15. A 7-1 run clinched the sweep for the home team. 

INSIDE THE BOX:

• Lane recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. She recorded six double-doubles last season.
• The Crusaders outblocked the Owls six-to-three.

 
 
MATCH TWO SET SCORES:

• Crusaders 3, Knights 1 (25-22, 25-27, 25-18, 25-23)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross led 3-2 following a junior Lauren Halverson kill. Five straight by FDU pushed them ahead 7-3. Back-to-back blocks from Millership and Simmons pulled the Crusaders within one, 8-7. Johnson tied the set 8-8 mashing a kill. A 6-0 scoring run for the Crusaders put them in the lead 14-11 following two consecutive aces by freshman Haley Gill. The Crusader service game added on points as a Johnson ace pushed the lead to 18-13. FDU strung together three straight points and Holy Cross took a timeout. Out of the stoppage, the Crusaders got points via a block and kill to increase the lead to 20-16. Holy Cross led 22-18 and FDU came within a point at 23-22. The Crusaders responded by getting a Johnson kill and the third ace of the set from Gill to win 25-22.
• The Crusaders were down early and ended up knotting the set at 4-4 after a Simmons kill. The squads swapped points until a 4-0 mini run for the Crusaders put them in front 12-9. The Crusaders stayed ahead by three midway through the set, but FDU regained the lead via four straight points at 17-16. A 5-2 Crusader spurt vaulted Holy Cross back ahead 21-19. The Knights called timeout after a Millership kill as the Crusaders were on set point at 24-22. FDU ended up outscoring the Crusaders 5-1 to deadlock the match at 1-1.
• A 3-0 start with kills by Stokes, Reisman and Johnson had the Crusaders in the lead early in the important third set. Two straight kills off the swing of Johnson made it a 10-5 third set in favor of the Crusaders. FDU dropped their margin to two at 12-10, but the Crusaders regained the lead at 16-10 after six straight points. Trailing 20-13, FDU began to chip away at their deficit and came within four at 21-17. Reisman and Halverson clinched the set for the Crusaders skying up for a dual block.
• Two straight Crusader attack errors put FDU in the lead at 9-5. A 7-1 Crusader outburst including five straight markers getting two Gill aces jumped them back in front at 12-10. The Knights regained the lead, 15-12 via five straight points with four of them coming by the way of the ace. From there the Crusaders produced six points to FDU's one to lead 18-16. The Knights regained the edge at 22-20, however the Crusaders outscored them the rest of the way getting an ace from sophomore Katie Russell and the match clinching kill from Simmons.

INSIDE THE BOX:

• Johnson produced her first double-double of the season with a game-high 13 kills and 14 digs She had two double-doubles as a freshman in 2022.
• Stokes (19) and Russell (17) had 15+ assists each.
• Stokes recorded double digit assists for the eighth time in her career. The 19 assists were the second most she has recorded in a match.
• Gill had a game-high five aces with three coming in the first set.
• Halverson and Reisman manufactured a game-high four total blocks apiece.
• Holy Cross was outhit .222-to-.183 in the victory.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross closes out the FAU Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. against Kansas City.

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