STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (11-4, 2-2 GNAC) defeated University of Maine-Farmington (5-10, 2-1 NAC), 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-14), in a non-conference volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening. Senior Sarah Hawkes (Pownal, Maine) recorded 10 kills, 10 digs and five service aces in the triumph.

The Monks set the tone for the evening with dominant play early in the first set, when the hosts raced out to an 8-0 lead en route to a 25-13 win. With the score deadlocked at four apiece in the second set, the Royal Blue managed to post a 14-2 surge on the way to a 25-14 triumph and, in the third set, the in-state rivals fought through a see-saw battle by scoring 13 of the final 15 points to claim another 25-14 win and the 3-0 sweep.

For the Monks, Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) tallied eight kills and three solo blocks, Kiah Begley (Berwick, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) registered 25 assists, four digs, three kills and three aces, Erica Russi (Debary, Fla.) added 13 digs and three kills, and Holly Bannister (Cumberland, Maine) contributed five kills.

For the Beavers, Jen Vadnais (Arundel, Maine), Jordan Hohman (Naples, Maine), Jennifer Tupper (Lamoine, Maine) and Amber Allen (Windham, Maine) notched two kills apiece and Whitney Walls (Bar Harbor, Maine) posted nine assists in a losing effort.

Saint Joseph's held advantages in kills (33-11), assists (30-11), aces (13-4) and digs (40-21) in the victory. With the result, the Monks are now 24-25 versus Maine-Farmington since the start of the 1991 campaign and have defeated the Beavers in eight consecutive meetings dating back to the 2008 season.

Saint Joseph's will face Albertus Magnus (2:00 PM) and Johnson & Wales (4:00 PM) in a GNAC tri-match in Providence this Saturday, while Maine-Farmington is off until next Wednesday when the Beavers play at University of Southern Maine at 7:00 PM. 

Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.