ORANGEBURG, NY – The College of Saint Rose women's volleyball team opened its 2009 campaign on a high note after taking a 3-1 (25-17, 25-18, 24-26, 25-15) non-conference victory at Dominican College this evening. The Golden Knights (1-0) closed things out by chalking up 15 of the final 20 points to transform a 10-10 tie into a 25-15 margin in the fourth and deciding set.

Saint Rose junior middle hitter Kelly Ryan and sophomore outside hitter Sarah Kahrs paced the attack with eight kills apiece. Ryan also added three blocks, while Kahrs came up with six digs and an ace. Meanwhile, senior libero Mary German and sophomore setter Theresa Staulo combined for 28 assists.

Freshman middle blocker Courtney Heard led the Lady Chargers (0-2) with eight kills. Freshman setter N'Jameh Philip dished out 23 assists to go with three digs and a pair of aces, while freshman libero Jordyn Fuller spearheaded the defensive effort with 12 digs.

The Golden Knights never trailed in the first set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead that was punctuated by a German kill. Saint Rose proceeded to outscore Dominican 10-4 to take a commanding 20-9 edge en route to the 25-17 win.

The second set went back and forth until Kahrs broke a 12-12 tie with a kill off a feed from German. The Golden Knights held a 13-6 scoring margin following the initial tie to chalk up a 25-18 win and a 2-0 advantage. After the Lady Chargers squeezed out a 26-24 triumph in the third set, Saint Rose bounced back with the aforementioned 15-5 run to close out the match.

The Golden Knights return to action tomorrow evening when they host Post University in what marks their 2009 home opener at 7:00 pm at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium. Meanwhile, Dominican hits the court again Thursday night when the Lady Chargers head to Mercy for a 7:00 pm non-conference match.

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