STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (3-3) posted a pair of victories on the opening night of the 2017 SJC Autumn Invitational at the Harold Alfond Center on Friday. The Monks opened with a 3-0 triumph over Maine-Presque Isle (3-3) and closed out the evening with a 3-1 win over Maine-Fort Kent (3-2).

In court two action, Husson University (6-1) fell to Maine-Fort Kent, 3-1, and shut out Maine-Presque Isle, 3-0. TOURNAMENT LEADERS

SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, MAINE-PRESQUE ISLE 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-18) - BOX

The Monks controlled the pace from start to finish in what was the team's first shutout victory of the season, as the tourney hosts held commanding advantages in hitting percentage (.250 - .046), kills (43-20), assists (43-19), aces (7-1), and total blocks (11-1) with a 58-54 lead in digs in the first match of the evening.

Saint Joseph's was led by sophomore Kelsey Bickford (Somersworth, N.H.), who tallied 16 kills in 38 attempts for a .316 attack rate, and senior Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine), who belted 13 kills in 24 attempts for a sparkling .500 hitting percentage along with five total blocks. Junior Sarah Dyer (Seabrook, N.H.) boasted 36 assists with four kills and five digs while junior Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) contributed 26 digs and three aces and freshman Sophia Randall (Epping, N.H.) posted 11 digs in the victory.

The Owls were paced by freshman Miranda Washinawatok (Shawano, Wis.), who registered eight kills in 34 attempts, and freshman Maddi Thweatt (Middleton, Idaho), who chipped in with 13 digs and four kills.

MAINE-FORT KENT 3, HUSSON 1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-20) - BOX

After a hard-fought but inefficient first set loss, Maine-Fort Kent retaliated with three straight victories with the help of 14 kills from junior Mia Satterfield (Fairfield, Calif.), 26 assists from junior Haley West (Redding, Calif.), and 32 digs from junior Kamalani Kahele (Kalihi, Hawaii), who also helped turn the tied with six service aces in the triumph.

For Husson, junior Kaitlyn Woods (Charlton, Mass.) notched a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs, sophomore Hanna Hembrow (Milford, N.H.) contributed 25 assists and 12 digs, and senior Lindsay Chapman (Gorham, Maine) posted seven kills in 26 attempts.

SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, MAINE-FORT KENT 1 (25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 25-20) - BOX

The Monks, who suffered a pair of losses – including the championship game - at the hands of the Bengals in last year's tournament, proved their mettle in a very entertaining four-set win. In a match featuring countless extended volleys and a number of athletic saves on both sides of the net, St. Joe's managed to come out on top despite facing deficits in kills (45-43) and hitting percentage (.157 - .142). The difference proved to be the serving game, as the Monks held slim leads in aces (11-9) and service errors (6-9) en route to posting a thrilling victory.

Freshman Erin Olson (Stoughton, Mass.) was outstanding in the victory with 13 kills on 21 attempts for an otherworldly .524 hitting percentage with four total blocks to boot. Bickford contributed 12 kills, Copp added seven with five total blocks, and Randall continued her upward trend with 15 digs, six kills, and five aces. Thompson registered 28 digs while Dyer dealt 40 assists in the four-set win.

For the Bengals, junior Payton Spragling (Pearl City, Hawaii) boasted a tourney-high 17 kills with four aces and 11 digs, senior Hope Driscoll (Fairfield, Calif.) tallied 10 kills and four block solos, Satterfield posted 11 kills with four digs, and West chipped in with 39 assists and 13 digs. Kahele paced UMFK with 17 digs in the setback.

HUSSON 3, MAINE-PRESQUE ISLE 0 (25-16, 25-20, 26-24) - BOX

The Eagles fought off a feisty Owls team in a three-set victory that required nearly two hours to complete. With a negative hitting percentage (-.015), UMPI managed to stay in the game due to 21 Husson attack errors, but in the end the Eagles' 35 kills outplayed the Owls' meager sum of 21 in a shutout defeat.

For Husson, sophomore Mary Grace Power (Bellerose Village, N.Y.) delivered 10 kills with a .259 attack rate, senior Bailey Cote (Biddeford, Maine) chipped in with 10 kills and four block solos, sophomore Riley Mooers (Mount Desert, Maine) notched a double-double with 21 digs and 15 assists along with four kills, and sophomore Delaney Chisholm (Tewksbury, Mass.) added 18 digs.

For Maine-Presque Isle, freshman Taylor Johnson (Eagle, Idaho) recorded seven kills, 13 digs, and a pair of block solos, junior Hannah Williams (Park Falls, Nova Scotia) tossed in 18 digs, and freshman Brittney Harper (East Mountain, Nova Scotia) dealt 14 assists with three kills and seven digs.

TOMORROW'S SCHEDULE:

10:00 AM:

Court 1: Saint Joseph's vs. Husson
Court 2: Maine-Fort Kent vs. Maine-Presque Isle

12:00 PM

Court 1: Championship
Court 2: Consolation

#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.