OAKDALE, N.Y. -- Senior outside hitters Patrycja Klekotka (Siedice, Poland) and Kelly Scott (Moscow, Idaho) combined to hit .600 with only two errors in 30 swings as Dowling College bested Bentley University, 3-0, in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II East Regional at the Dowling Gymnasium Friday night.
Dowling, 28-6 after the 26-24, 25-20, 25-11 victory, will advance to play the University of Bridgeport in Saturday's regional final. Bentley finishes its season at 18-13.
The Falcons' inability to close out the opening set changed the match around. Bentley led for most of the set and held a 24-20 advantage, needing just a single point to take a 1-0 lead over the top-seeded Golden Lions.
A Bentley attack error made it 24-21, a block by Scott cut the Falcon lead to two, and consecutive setting errors evened the score at 24 apiece. Another attack error gave Dowling its first lead since 8-7, and Klekotka finished the set with a kill.
The fifth-seeded Falcons trailed much of the second set, but were down just two at 21-19. Dowling embarked on a 4-1 spurt to close it out, a Scott kill ending the set and giving the home team a commanding 2-0 advantage in the match,
Bentley was never in the third and final set, falling behind 11-3 and 19-5. Dowling hit .400 in that one and finished the match at a lofty .348 with only 11 kills.
Klekotka hit .625 with 12 kills and two errors in 16 attacks, and also had two aces and two blocks. Scott made six blocks, didn't have an attack error and hit .571 with eight kills.
Seniors Kristine Mickelson (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) and Alex Kearney (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla HS), a pair of four-year starters, had nine and eight kills, respectively, for Bentley in their final collegiate match. Mickelson hit .467 and Kearney, the Falcons' all-time leader in kills, also had seven digs.
Junior Alaura Berry (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo HS) hit .385 with eight kills for the Falcons, and senior libero Cassie Kraft (New Braunfels, Texas/St. Mary's Hall) made nine digs. Junior setter Kelly Mee (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock North HS) finished with 24 assists and eight digs.
