STANDISH, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy (1-0) defeated Saint Joseph's College (0-1), 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-23), in non-conference women's volleyball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Friday evening. The match counted as the 2016 season opener for both programs.

THE LEAD

Saint Joseph's, led by first-year Head Coach Alexis Michal in her collegiate coaching debut, showed flashes of promise in the shutout loss, as the young squad remained in contention until the end in two of three frames. Ultimately, an inconsistent hitting effort proved to be the difference, as the Mariners held a commanding 31-13 kills advantage on the evening.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Senior Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) led the Monks with six kills and contributed 12 digs
• Senior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) added three kills and 11 digs
• Sophomore Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) tallied a match-high 20 digs without a reception error
• Freshman Chatham Mills (Gorham, Maine) produced four block solos with four digs and a service ace in her NCAA debut
• Sophomore Sarah Dyer (Seabrook, N.H.) posted 10 assists with six digs
• First-year Bailey Gryskwicz (Standish, Maine) chipped in with nine digs in her first collegiate contest
• Freshman Kelsey Bickford (Somersworth, N.H.) added a pair of kills in the setback
• Junior Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) contributed seven digs with a kill and a block solo

LEADERS – MAINE MARITIME:

• Senior Gillian O'Neal (Burbank, Calif.) notched a match-high eight kills with 16 digs
• Sophomore Tess Clark (Spring, Texas) posted six kills and three block solos
• Freshman Alexa Caracie (Manahawkin, N.J.) put up five kills with four block solos
• Sophomore Alex McClure (Iron Station, N.C.) chipped in with four kills
• Sophomore Melissa Spaulding (Fairbanks, Alaska) totaled 16 assists and 10 digs
• Freshman María Belén Pérez Gutiérrez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) contributed two kills, three aces, and 15 digs
• Freshman Sydney Adams (Trumbull, Conn.) added three kills, nine assists, and 14 digs

TEAM STATS

The Mariners held an advantage in kills (31-13), assists (31-13), aces (5-4), and total blocks (7-6) while posting a .039 attack rate, opposed to the -.067 mark put forth by the Monks. Both teams were credited with 70 digs in the 2016 opener.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the loss, Saint Joseph's is now 11-5 versus Maine Maritime Academy (since 1989) and suffers a setback at the hands of the Mariners for the first time since 2011. Prior to tonight, the Monks had defeated MMA in six-consecutive meetings.

Since 1989, St. Joe's is now 19-9 in season-openers and this evening's loss counts as the Monks' first inaugural setback since the Royal Blue fell to Rivier University in the 2008 opener.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's is off until next Saturday when the Monks host non-conference foe Lesley University in an 11:00 AM start. Maine Maritime returns to action next Friday with a pair of matches in the Wheaton College Invitational. The Mariners face Salem State at 6:00 PM and cap the evening with an 8:00 PM match versus the host-Lyons.