PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team saved their most exciting match of the season for the non-conference finale on Sunday afternoon from the City of Brotherly Love, deleting a two-sets-to-zero deficit on a neutral floor to execute a frantic victory over Quinnipiac (17-25, 22-25, 29-27, 25-23, 15-11).
Junior
Julia Yurkovich turned in her greatest-ever performance to captain the comeback, soaring to 19 kills (15 after only three sets). The Blue Hose survived three Match Point situations in Set Three to win their second match in a row, having also downed Dartmouth less than 24 hours earlier.
Sunday was PC's first five-set contest of the season in 12 appearances. It was also PC's first successful comeback from a 2-0 deficit since February 2021 when they bested Radford.
Yurkovich and fellow junior
Anisa Dorlouis were both chosen for the All-Tournament Team on the final day of the Cherry & White Classic (held at Temple University), combining for 27 kills in the W.
Head coach
Maddie Moss picked a perfect time for her squad to enter their home opener in five days, starting off the Big South slate this Friday evening versus Charleston Southern.
SET ONE – QUINNIPIAC def. PC, 25-17
- Although Dorlouis began the contest with an ace, the opening stanza was mostly controlled by the opposing side.
Celimar Hoyos and Brittany Daphnis registered back-to-back kills to pull within 9-8, although Quinnipiac went on a 9-2 run immediately after.
- Trailing 21-13, the Blue Hose mounted a brief glimpse of momentum in the form of a 4-0 spurt (featuring two Yurkovich kills in that span), although the Bobcats responded with four unanswered points of their own to claim the first set.
SET TWO – QUINNIPIAC def. PC, 25-22
- On top by a 9-6 clip only for Quinnipiac to counter with a 7-1 flurry, PC found themselves playing catch-up for the second straight time.
- Numerous blocks and kills by Yurkovich and
Elyse Hutchinson allowed the Blue Hose to climb back in the picture and tie the score at 17, 18, and 21. However, Presby was unable to wrestle the lead back in their favor in any of those three opportunities.
- The Blue Hose pulled to within one (23-22), but the Bobcats would earn the last two points of the set to plummet PC's chances of winning.
SET THREE – PC def. QUINNIPIAC, 29-27
- Presbyterian's resiliency was endless in Philly, even after falling behind 5-0 in the third chapter. This would ultimately turn into the longest set of the season for coach Moss's gang, a moment where they came up extra clutch to extend the match.
- In danger of being swept and facing a 22-17 hole, the Scotsmen stormed back with five unanswered points (capped by another Yurkovich kill).
- There were a grand total of six ties from this point forward until Set Three was decided, as Hutchinson delivered a timely kill to knot things up at 23 apiece.
- Yurkovich prevented the Bobcats from picking up the win with her 15
th kill of the afternoon that halted the Match Point status. Dorlouis and Daphnis tag-teamed a double block in the next volley to position PC on the doorstep of the Set Three win.
- Following two straight Quinnipiac points to once again put Presby inches away from defeat, Dorlouis answered the call for another set-tying kill (27-all). The Bobcats committed a costly error in the next sequence, setting up Daphnis and Corutney Williams for a set-ending double rejection.
- This was the longest set to involve Presbyterian since November 15 of last year, a win over Charleston Southern who is coincidentally PC's upcoming opponent.
SET FOUR – PC def. QUINNIPIAC, 25-23
- The intensity was turned up several notches now that the Blue Hose had a set win under their belt, with no one taking a lead larger than two in the fourth set until Hutchinson and
Ava Smith's double block put PC ahead 11-8.
- Two Presbyterian miscues enabled Quinnipiac to jump in front 16-15, their first advantage since the board read 5-4.
- Fast forward to a 19-16 Bobcat cushion and another Blue Hose rally that snuffed out any possibility of a runaway. Williams and Daphnis synced up for another crucial block to finish a 3-0 PC spurt and bring the set right back to square one.
- Smith, Williams, and Yurkovich all slammed daggers into Quinnipiac down the stretch of Set Four, necessitating a winner-take-all fifth frame.
SET FIVE – PC def. QUINNIPIAC, 15-11
- Once PC jolted ahead at 6-5 in the last frame, they'd never relinquish the lead for the rest of the way. Yurkovich and Hutchinson grabbed another block to give the Scotsmen a 9-6 edge, just six points away from completing the comeback.
- The Bobcats offered a 3-0 run as a rebuttal and tied the score one more time at nine each, but PC would end the afternoon on a 6-2 run that cemented the result.
- Yurkovich lined up her 19
th kill that moved the Blue Hose ahead 12-10, the most kills by any PC player since Williams tallied 20 at USC Upstate last fall.
- Dorlouis was the one to archive the match-winning point, concluding Presbyterian's first-ever match against Quinnipiac on a very high note.
NOTABLES
- Yurkovich has now recorded double-digit kills in eight of PC's 12 games entering Big South play. Not to be outdone, Hutchinson finished with nine kills in her own right, seven blocks, and a team-best .263 attack percentage (minimum 15 attempts).
- Dorlouis was all over the stat sheet on Sunday, pouring in eight kills, nine digs, three blocks, and 41 assists.
- Overall, the Blue Hose put together 15 blocks compared to just five from Quinnipiac. Included among that total was seven rejections by Daphnis. Elsewhere, second-year libero
Aubrie Arnold led the way in the digs department with 15.
UP NEXT
- Solely on the road for almost an entire month, Presbyterian will make their 2025 Templeton Gymnasium debut on the 26
th in a head-to-head with Charleston Southern. First serve will take place at six o'clock, streaming live on ESPN+.
- The Buccaneers are right at .500 with a 6-6 mark before going up against South Carolina State in two days, losing their last two matches to Clemson and Georgetown (both in four).
- PC has won three of the last four encounters with CSU, leading the all-time series 21-16 in a rivalry that dates back to 2006.