CAMBRIDGE, MA – Saint Joseph's (7-2, 2-0 GNAC) toppled Lesley University (2-6, 0-0 NECC), 3-0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-11), in a non-conference volleyball match on Thursday night. Kaela Murphy '15 (Salem, Mass.) belted a match-high seven kills in the one-sided affair.
The Monks registered a scorching .365 attack percentage in the three-set sweep, the highest rate since the Royal Blue posted a .390 mark in a 3-1 win over Lyndon State College on September 12th, 2009. Saint Joseph's committed just six attack errors on the night, the fewest since the Monks made four in a loss to Rivier College on October 17th, 2009.
Junior setter Kiah Begley (Berwick, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) added to her program-record assists tally with a match-best 21 helpers on the night and now has 1,587 in just 70 career matches and 239 sets over two-plus seasons. Begley, who is also the far-and-away SJC career leader with 6.64 assists per set, surpassed Kerri Padgett '04 as the Monks' assists leader in a win over Mount Ida College on Saturday.
Sarah Hawkes '13 (Pownal, Maine) registered five kills, six digs, four solo blocks and a .364 attack percentage with just one error in 11 attempts in the victory. Holly Bannister '14 (Cumberland, Maine) added five kills to go with a .500 attack rate, Kristen Palladino '14 (Exeter, N.H.) recorded seven digs, three kills, three service aces and three assists, Erica Russi '14 (Debary, Fla.) contributed a match-high 16 digs, and Jordan Pelczar '12 (Meredith, N.H.) posted nine digs and five aces on the evening.
Lesley jumped out to early leads in the first two sets, but the Monks eventually proved too strong every game. The Lynx led 3-0 after opening the night with a pair of service aces from setter Kaitlyn Miller (Leesport, Pa.), but a 17-3 St. Joe's run featuring three Murphy kills, two from Begley and six Lynx errors sent the Monks on their way to a 25-12 win in the opener.
A pair of early Kayla Henry (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) kills put Lesley out in front, 4-2, in the middle set and a Monks setting error put the Lynx up 8-7, prompting a timeout from St. Joe's head coach Yami Nolan. It was the only timeout she needed all night, as Murphy responded with a pair of kills that put the visitors on top, 10-8.
A kill from Lesley's Miller pulled the Lynx back to within three, at 13-10, but Pelczar proceeded to blast five consecutive service aces to spark a 10-0 run as the senior defensive specialist served to close out a 25-10 Monks win.
Saint Joseph's led the third match from the onset, scoring six straight points with Palladino serving to take an 8-3 lead. The Monks' attack that posted a .365 percentage for the match hit a whopping .450 in the final set as the Royal Blue coasted to a 25-11 win.
For Lesley Henry and Megan Ortwein (Shanghai, China) tied for team-high honors with five kills, Henry hit a team-high .118 and Ortwein led the defense with eight digs.
Lesley is in action again on Tuesday at Suffolk, while St. Joe's returns to Great Northeast Athletic Conference play, hosting Emerson and Johnson & Wales for a Saturday tri-match beginning at 11:00 AM.
THANKS IN PART TO LESLEY UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
