STANDISH, Maine - Saint Joseph's College (6-0) defeated Plymouth State University (7-3), 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-22), in a non-conference women's volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night. Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) tallied a match-high nine kills with seven digs and a pair of aces in the sweep.
Saint Joseph's rarely trailed in the three-set victory as the hosts would not face more than a two-point deficit in the three-set triumph over Plymouth State. The Monks boasted a solid .217 attack percentage with 18 unforced errors overall while the Panthers mustered a negative .051 rate with 42 errors – including 26 on attack bids – in a losing effort.
The Monks opened the night by producing five unanswered points, with junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) making it a 5-0 set with a service ace. The Panthers responded with four straight points, a run capped with a Dani Tabor (Olympia, Wash.) kill.
St. Joe's rattled off five straight again, as a pair of Huntley kills helped the hosts reclaim a five-point (10-5) cushion, but the visitors answered with an 11-6 run, tying the opening set at 16-16. Minutes later, Plymouth State received a service ace from Tabor to take a 19-18 lead, their first advantage of the evening, and a see-saw battle ensued with the Panthers earning a 23-22 edge after sophomore Clair Sporer (Medford, Ore.) notched a kill. But the Monks reclaimed service on a Katie Sylvia (Lee, N.H.) errant serve and proceeded to claim a 1-0 match lead after the Panthers fell victim to a pair of attack errors.
The New England rivals played close for the better part of the second set as well. Plymouth led 13-12 after junior Brianna Wojtas (Salem, N.H.) blocked a Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) attack, but the advantage did not last as St. Joe's put up six straight points with the help of two aces from senior Sam Wright (Westport, Mass.) and a pair of Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) kills. Saint Joseph's led by no fewer than four points for the remainder of the set and earned a 2-0 lead with the help of a late 5-2 run, which was capped with a service error by Sylvia.
The third set was quite competitive, as neither team led by more than four points and the clubs stood at a 17-17 deadlock late in what turned out to be the final segment of the evening. With the tie score, Saint Joseph's produced a 7-3 surge to claim a 24-20 cushion before Plymouth State tacked on a pair of points, but the Monks did not waver as Wachowiak rejected a Kayla Wyland (Melrose, Mass.) attack to clinch the three-set win.
For the Monks, Hollander recorded six kills with a .400 attack rate, junior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) added five kills and 18 digs, Wachowiak contributed five kills and seven total blocks (four solo), and Hebert tallied 27 assists with six digs. Freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) chipped in with 18 digs and Wright added a pair of aces in the victory.
For the Panthers, Tabor registered seven kills, six digs and two aces, junior Mikki Taffe (Sandown, N.H.) posted five kills, Sporer produced four kills and six digs, and sophomore Megan Bailey (Canterbury, N.H.) added 16 assists and four digs. Sophomore Brenna Peruch (Cave Creek, Az.) recorded a match-high 19 digs in the loss.
Saint Joseph's returns to play Thursday with a 7:00 PM match at University of Southern Maine while Plymouth State will host a tri-match versus Western Connecticut and Salve Regina on Saturday.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
