STANDISH, Maine – University of New England (10-16, 2-5 CCC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (9-16, 4-6 GNAC), 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 22-25, 25-19) in a non-conference women's volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening.
FIRST SET
The opening set was closely contested throughout and the Monks held a 22-20 lead after sophomore Erin Olson (Stoughton, Mass.) delivered a service ace, but the Nor'easters – following a timeout – managed to post a 5-1 run en route to securing a 25-23 set victory. Junior Katie Flynn (Merrimack, N.H.) and senior Rene Roggenbuck (Goffstown, N.H.) delivered back to back kills to clinch the UNE triumph.
SECOND SET
The second frame started in a similar fashion, but UNE turned a 3-2 edge into a 13-6 cushion after registering a 10-4 run. Later in the set the Monks mounted a 4-0 run to cut their deficit down to 18-14, but the Nor'easters responded in kind with a 4-0 run of their own on the way to a 25-17 set win and 2-0 match lead.
THIRD SET
The Monks led for virtually the entire third set and closed out the frame with kills from freshman Sarah Quinn (Dover, N.H.) and junior Kelsey Bickford (Somersworth, N.H.).
FOURTH SET
What played out to be the final set was a back and forth affair until midway through the frame when UNE broke a 13-13 tie with a decisive 11-3 surge. The Monks posted a late rally as an Olson kill made it a 24-19 score, but a Micaela McNamara (Westminster, Mass.) kill provided the Nor'easters with the set, and match, victory.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Olson tallied 12 kills, two aces, and four total blocks
- Quinn added 12 kills
- Bickford notched 11 kills and three digs
- Senior Sarah Dyer (Seabrook, N.H.) contributed 21 assists and 15 digs
- Senior Jennelle Thompson (Rochester, N.H.) notched a match-high 27 digs
- Sophomore Sophia Randall (Epping, N.H.) chipped in with 14 assists and seven digs
LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND:
- Roggenbuck led all players with 14 kills on 32 attempts with a .312 attack percentage and belted four aces on the evening
- Flynn recorded nine kills and 15 digs
- Junior Paige Simoneau (Hudson, N.H.) added eight kills and six digs
- Sophomore Sydney Christiansen (Palatine, Ill.) contributed 37 assists, 14 digs, and five kills
SENIOR MOMENT
Prior to the start of the match the Monks held a brief ceremony to honor the program's two seniors: Jennelle Thompson and Sarah Dyer. In four years as a starter, Thompson has posted an SJC program-record 2,460 digs in 112 matches (400 sets) while Dyer has tallied 159 kills, 1,662 assists, 62 aces, and 645 digs in 77 career matches (254 sets).
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's closes out the regular season with a pair of conference matches at Johnson & Wales University on Saturday. The Monks face Suffolk University at 2:00 PM and battle the Wildcats at 4:00 PM.
Senior Night
