STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (9-10, 4-3 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) volleyball tri-match at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday. The Monks opened the day with a 3-2 (25-15, 25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 15-5) victory over Mount Ida College (7-16, 1-5 GNAC) and capped the action with a 3-0 (17-25, 12-25, 16-25) loss at the hands of Johnson & Wales University (24-0, 8-0 GNAC).

Johnson & Wales, ranked as the top team in New England according to the latest New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) Regional Poll, shutout Mount Ida, 3-0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-8) in the middle match.

Saint Joseph's def. Mount Ida, 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 21-25, 22-25, 15-5)

The Monks cruised through the first two sets and looked to sweep before the Mustangs maintained the pace and surged past the hosts with a late run in the third set. The visitors followed a similar route in the fourth set en route to a 25-22 victory and forcing a deciding set, but St. Joe's held at least a share of the lead for the entirety of the fifth frame to collect the victory. The Monks notched nine kills – including four from senior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) – and no errors with a stellar .409 attack rate in the fifth set.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

Kills: Gosselin and Victoria Huntley – 16, Chatham Mills and Jordynne Copp – 8, Kelsey Bickford – 4

Assists: Sarah Dyer – 39, Emma Tirrell – 11

Digs: Jennelle Thompson – 40, Bailey Gryskwicz – 22, Gosselin – 19, Huntley – 18, Dyer – 12

Aces: Gosselin and Huntley – 3, Copp and Gryskwicz – 2

Total Blocks: Copp – 3, Mills – 2

LEADERS – MOUNT IDA:

Kills: Kristy Walton – 14, Mary Kate Reidy – 10, Molly Alkinburg – 9, Meghan Martowski – 8

Assists: Alexis Bell – 39

Digs: Alysha Dunbar – 32, Reidy – 28, Bell – 14, Eleni Tsetsos – 12

Total Blocks: Martowski – 2

TEAM STATS:

Kills: SJC 54, IDA 47

Attack %: SJC .185, IDA .119

Assists: SJC 54, IDA 44

Digs: SJC 121, IDA 108

Blocks: SJC 5, IDA 2

Johnson & Wales def. Saint Joseph's, 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-16)

The Monks gave the Wildcats all they could handle for the better part of the first set, as the hosts remained within two points until late when JWU rattled off six unanswered points – with the help of four SJC errors – to claim a 25-17 opening victory. The Wildcats, who have lost just one set – to Rivier University on September 21st – all season, regained their form and registered a collective .376 hitting percentage in decisive second and third set triumphs.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

Kills: Huntley – 5, Copp and Gosselin – 4, Bickford – 2

Assists: Dyer – 15

Digs: Thompson – 15, Gosselin – 11, Huntley – 5

Aces: Dyer and Huntley – 1

Total Blocks: Mills – 2

LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:

Kills: Emily Kalmink – 10, Starsha Tunstall – 8, Kate Walker and Maria Coniglio – 7, Elizabeth Hamilton – 6

Assists: Brylee Frank – 36

Digs: Gianna Esposito – 22, Hamilton and Monica Cordova – 8, Frank – 7

Aces: Cordova and Frank – 2

Total Blocks: Walker and Kalmink – 2

TEAM STATS:

Kills: JWU 43, SJC 17

Attack %: JWU .293, SJC -.042

Assists: JWU 42, SJC 17

Digs: JWU 56, SJC 40

Aces: JWU 5, SJC 2

Blocks: JWU 5, SJC 4

Johnson & Wales def. Mount Ida, 3-0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-8)

LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:

Kills: Walker – 10, Hamilton – 6, Tunstall and Coniglio – 5

Assists: Frank – 29

Digs: Esposito – 13, Julianna Zaharias – 9, Hamilton – 7

Aces: Frank, Walker, and Esposito – 2

Total Blocks: Frank – 3, Walker – 2

LEADERS – MOUNT IDA:

Kills: Reidy – 5, Alkinburg – 3

Assists: Bell – 9

Digs: Brenda Sosa – 9, Dunbar – 6

Aces: None

Total Blocks: None

TEAM STATS:

Kills: JWU 37, IDA 13

Attack %: JWU .362, IDA -.075

Assists: JWU 34, IDA 12

Digs: JWU 48, IDA 34

Aces: JWU 10, IDA 0

Blocks: JWU 7, IDA 0

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's returns to action next Saturday with a GNAC tri-match at Anna Maria College. The Monks face Albertus Magnus College at 12:00 PM and the host AMCATS at 2:00 PM.

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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.