PAXTON, Mass.—The Anna Maria College volleyball team took 3-0 victories over Albertus Magnus and Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in Saturday's Great Northeast Athletic Conference tri-match. Saint Joseph's won the middle match 3-0 over the Falcons to finish the day at 1-1.
With the victories, Anna Maria improves to 16-10 overall and 6-3 in GNAC play. The Monks now sit at 10-11 overall and 5-4 in the league, while the Falcons remain winless in GNAC competition.
ANNA MARIA 3, ALBERTUS MAGNUS 0
Junior Rebecca Foti (Bedford, N.H.) led the AMCATS with 16 kills in their 3-0 victory against the Falcons. Set scores were 25-12, 25-11, and 25-10. Sophomore Amari King (Lawrence, Mass.) posted her 14th double-double of the season with 12 kills and a match-high 14 digs.
Freshman Alyssa Goulet (Lawrence, Mass.) recorded six kills and a service ace. Classmate Tierney Clancy (Meriden, Conn.) led the team with four service aces and 26 assists.
The AMCATS were dominant in all three sets as they held their opponents to just 16 kills on the day. Jacqueline Gonzalez finished with five kills. Three different members of the Albertus Magnus squad reached double-figures in kills—Ana Gomez and Ashley David had 12, followed by Jesselle Guzman with 10.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, ALBERTUS MAGNUS 0
The Monks held Albertus Magnus to just 13 kills over the three-set match. Set scores were 25-10, 25-11, and 25-7.
Saint Joseph's totaled 32 kills on their own side, led by Victoria Huntley with 10. Shadai Gosselin and Jennelle Thompson both finished with 17 digs apiece, while Emma Tirell dished out a team-best 16 assists.
As a team, the Monks recorded an impressive 14 service aces. Gosselin and Sarah Dyer had four apiece.
Albertus Magnus was paced by Ashley David with five kills. Gomez had a team-best 13 digs.
ANNA MARIA 3, SAINT JOSEPH'S 0
Anna Maria prevailed in a must-win match for GNAC tournament seeding. Both teams entered the match with identical 5-3 records. Set scores were 25-23, 25-23, and 25-22.
The AMCATS saw three double-doubles on the day: King finished with 22 kills and 27 digs, Foti had 16 kills and 11 digs, and Clancy had 37 assists and 16 digs.
As a team, Anna Maria totaled 43 kills and hit at .145. Senior Demi Carrero (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) tallied three service aces.
In the first set, neither team was able to take more than a three-point advantage without the other team responding. The lead traded off multiple times. Anna Maria took a 22-16 lead off of a four-serve effort by Garcia, but the Monks answered with a 6-0 run to make it a two-point game at 23-21. Anna Maria held on for the 25-23 win.
The second set saw the AMCATS open an early window on the serving strength of Clancy and Foti. The hosts led 8-3 before the Monks got the ball back and rallied for six-straight points to take a 10-8 lead. Anna Maria did not lead for good until 22-21 when back-to-back attack errors by Saint Joseph's gave the AMCATS a two-point advantage. The seconds set concluded with a kill from Foti.
Anna Maria scored the first four points of set three, but the Monks continued to rally. With the score tied at 11-11 the AMCATS took control, piecing together a four-point stretch for the 15-11 lead. After a few traded scoring plays, the AMCATS managed to hold the Monks at 14 points for a five-point stretch for the 22-14 lead.
The Monks did not give the AMCATS the easy victory, holding them at game-point for six Monks' points. A final kill by Goulet sealed the victory.
It marks the first time in program history that the AMCATS have been victorious over the Monks.
Saint Joseph's was paced by Gosselin with 10 kills and 12 digs. Jenelle Thompson recorded an impressive 34 digs in the three-set match.
WHAT'S NEXT
Saint Joseph's will host University of New England on Thursday night while Anna Maria wraps up the regular season on Tuesday when it hosts Worcester State.
COURTESY OF ANNA MARIA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
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.