STANDISH, Maine - Saint Joseph's College (18-1, 5-0 GNAC) swept University of Southern Maine (8-12, 1-2 LEC) in three sets (25-20, 26-24, 25-20) at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening.

THE LEAD

Once again, senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) paced the Monks' offensive attack, posting 14 kills along with a .294 attack rate and four total blocks in the triumph. Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) registered nine kills and 14 digs while freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) tallied 28 digs and junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) chipped in with 28 assists and 10 digs in the victory.

Sophomore outside hitter Jess Williamson (Goffstown, N.H.) led the Huskies with 10 kills and added 18 digs in the loss while senior defensive specialist Demi Ruder (Clifton, Colo.) tallied 22 digs on teh evening.

FIRST SET

Southern Maine opened the match with six unanswered points, as Megan Nilson (Granby, Conn.) and Robbi Termentozzi (Littleton, Colo.) rejected a Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) kill attempt to stake the visitors to a 6-0 advantage.

Later in the opener, a bad set by the Monks helped the Huskies collect a 13-8 cushion, but the hosts rallied back with an 11-2 run to claim a 19-15 advantage. Southern Maine managed to cut the deficit down to two points, with Williamson notching a kill to make it a 20-18 score, but the Royal Blue countered with three of the following four points to close out the 25-20 triumph.

SECOND SET

The second frame played out in nearly the opposite manner, as the Monks opened with a 5-2 advantage only to witness the Huskies steal the lead with seven straight points. Southern Maine held no less than a four-point cushion until St. Joe's countered with five consecutive points, as a USM attack error made it a 21-19 score.

The rivals traded blows down the stretch but the Monks, facing set point with the Huskies leading 24-22, managed to clinch the second set with four unanswered scores. Wachowiak slammed home kills for the Monks' 25th and 26th points, effectively lifting the hosts to a commanding 2-0 lead.

THIRD SET

The comeback trend continued in what proved to be the final set of the evening. Looking to complete the sweep, Saint Joseph's kicked off the third stanza with eight of the first nine points, seven coming with Gosselin at service.

Hoping to prolong the match, USM Head Coach Diane Newell called a timeout and the strategy relayed during the brief break seemed to take hold, as the Huskies responded with an 11-4 surge, tying the set at 12-12 on a Williamson kill.

St. Joe's answered with an 11-2 run of their own, as Wachowiak belted three kills while Huntley and Gosselin notched a pair apiece, making it a 23-14 score and surely putting the set out of reach. But the Huskies showed some fight near the end and had cut the hosts' cushion down to 24-20 after freshman Nicole Schmitz (St. Paul, Minn.) posted a kill.

The visitors' rally was cut short however, as Huntley slammed down a kill on a perfect feed from Hebert on the following serve from USM's Mariah Garcia (Brighton, Colo.) to claim the 25-20 set win and 3-0 match victory.

HIGHLIGHTS - SJC

• As a team, St. Joe's totaled a program three-set record 82 digs and Thompson's dig tally surpasses the Monks' previous three-set mark (24), which was held by Monique Lajoie and Erica Russi '14
• Gosselin added six kills and 12 digs and senior Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) chipped in with four kills in the triumph
• Sophomore Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) contributed a pair of kills and six digs

HIGHLIGHTS - USM

• Termentozzi added four kills and a pair of blocks in the loss
• Schmitz posted a team-high 11 assists with three kills and three digs
• Nilson tallied a pair of kills with seven assists, 11 digs and two block assists
• Freshman Cammi Baumann (Salida, Calif.) chipped in with 13 digs and a pair of aces in the losing bid

TEAM TOTALS

The Monks held advantages in kills (36-22), assists (34-19) and digs (82-77) in the victory and also posted a .218 attack rate, with just nine errors in 124 attempts. The Huskies countered with a negative .030 mark, with 26 miscues in 135 attempts.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Since 1996, Saint Joseph's owns a 16-14 record versus University of Southern Maine and has defeated the Huskies in 12 of the last 14 meetings dating back to the 2009 season.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's hosts Framingham State University (11:00 AM) and UMass.-Dartmouth (3:00 PM) in a non-conference tri-match on Saturday. Southern Maine plays University of New England (11:00 AM) and Maine Maritime Academy (1:00 PM) in Biddeford 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.