Purple Knights Move On To 2013 ECC Volleyball Championship Final With 3-1 Win Over Dowling

Bridgeport, Conn.-The top-seeded University of Bridgeport women's volleyball team defeated the number four seed Dowling College Golden Lions in four sets, 25-11, 23-25, 25-18, 25-21, to advance to the 2013 East Coast Conference Championship Final to be played in UB's Hubbell Gym on Saturday night. The victory is Bridgeport's fourteenth in a row and improves the Purple Knights overall record to 20-2. Dowling slips to 19-13 for the season.

East Coast Conference Player of the Year Biljana Savic (Jr., Novi Sad, Serbia) recorded another triple-double in the match (her fifth of 2013) to help lead the Purple Knights to victory. Savic led the team with 29 assists, added 11 kills, and 10 digs. Savic also chipped in four block assists for good measure.  Sophomore Sarah Rosa (Itajuba, Brazil) was tied for the team lead in kills with 15 on the evening with a .306 attack percentage. Also with 15 kills was junior Ying Shen (Nanjing, China) who finished with a double-double adding a team-high 14 digs.

Junior Larissa Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) recorded 12 kills on the night for the winners with an outstanding .455 attack percentage. She was also vital on defense leading the team with six block assists. Senior Fernanda Silva (Barsilia, Brazil) recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 10 digs.

Dowling sophomore Jessica Kalbefeisch led all players in the match with 16 kills.

Bridgeport will face NYIT, a 3-2 winner over LIU Post in Friday's other ECC semifinal, on Saturday for the 2013 ECC crown at 7:00 p.m. in Hubbell Gym.