STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (19-2, 5-0 GNAC) split a non-conference tri-match with Framingham State University (17-4, 3-0 MASCAC) and UMass.-Dartmouth (9-13, 1-2 LEC) at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday. Framingham State, which has advanced to the NCAA DIII Tournament in each of the past two seasons, topped the Monks, 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-21), in the opener and St. Joe's rebounded with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-21) victory over the Corsairs.

Framingham State defeated UMass.-Dartmouth, 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-14) in the middle match. BOX 

THE LEAD – vs. Framingham State

Saint Joseph's came out of the gates strong against Framingham State, as the Monks opened up a 4-0 lead and never trailed in a 25-23 first-set triumph. The second set was closely contested, with St. Joe's rallying from a five-point deficit to tie the set 23-23, but the Rams received a pair of aces from freshman Tessa Neverett (Athol, Mass.) to even the match.

In the third set, the hosts notched just two kills with eight attack errors for a negative .222 hitting percentage in a 25-19 loss and the Rams capped a see-saw fourth set with six unanswered points to collect a 25-21 win and a four-set triumph.

THE LEAD – vs. UMass.-Dartmouth

The Monks rebounded nicely in the closing match versus the Corsairs, as the Royal Blue posted a .202 attack rate with 33 kills and 15 errors in 89 attempts in a three-set sweep.

NOTABLES – vs. Framingham State

• Senior Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) tallied eight kills and four total blocks (three solo)
• Junior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) added six kills and 12 digs
• Junior Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) contributed six kills and three aces
• Junior Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) dealt 24 assists
• Freshman Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) picked up 24 digs
• The Monks held the Rams to their fourth-lowest attack percentage (.119) of the season
• St. Joe's was held to the team's lowest attack percentage (.000) of the year with 26 kills and 26 errors in 120 attempts
• For Framingham, junior Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) posted a match-high 17 kills, junior Julia Wan (South Deerfield, Mass.) boasted 13 kills and six aces, and senior Danielle Girard (Tivoli, N.Y.) added five kills and 21 digs

NOTABLES – vs. UMass.-Dartmouth

• With 13 kills, Wachowiak nearly out-hit the Corsairs, who tallied only 15 kills in a losing effort; the senior standout also posted a stellar .579 attack percentage in the sweep
• Huntley added eight kills and 10 digs
• Senior Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) posted seven kills in 13 attempts for a .462 attack percentage
• Gosselin chipped in four kills and 10 digs
• Hebert contributed 30 assists and six digs and Thompson tallied 13 digs
• For the Corsairs, junior Megan Ronaghan (North Attleboro, Mass.) produced six kills, senior Eliza Bowes (West Yarmouth, Mass.) added five kills and junior Christina Spinazola (Medway, Mass.) chipped in 10 assists

TEAM TOTALS – vs. Framingham State

The Rams held advantages in kills (42-26), assists (37-25), service aces (13-8) and digs (63-50) while the Monks held a 7-4 edge in blocks in the opener.

TEAM TOTALS – vs. UMass.-Dartmouth

Saint Joseph's held sizeable advantages in kills (33-15), assists (30-14) and digs in the victory. The Monks posted a .202 attack percentage compared to the Corsairs' negative .034 mark in the nightcap.

MIDDLE MATCH

Framingham State rarely trailed in a dominant three-set victory over UMass.-Dartmouth and owned advantages in kills (22-15), assists (18-14), aces (17-7) and digs 14-13) in the triumph. The Rams posted a .196 attack rate, as opposed to the Corsairs' negative .040 mark.

For the Rams, Rackliffe was dominant again, posting 10 kills on 16 attempts with four total blocks and Girard notched seven service aces.

For the Corsairs, Ronaghan and Bowes contributed four kills apiece, Spinazola added seven assists, and senior Jasmine Burris (New Bedford, Mass.) chipped in with five digs and four assists.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Saint Joseph's is now 2-3 all-time against UMass.-Dartmouth, a team that defeated the Monks, 3-2, last fall. Saturday's match against Framingham State was the Monks' first in the last 26 years.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host in-state rival University of New England (5-10, 2-2 CCC) at 6:30 PM on Thursday. The Nor'easters have dominated the series with a 51-3 record versus the Monks since 1989 and own a 29-match win streak versus SJC, a string that stretches back to the 1998 campaign.

#GOMONKS

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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.