PROVIDENCE, RI – Saint Joseph's College (12-5, 3-3 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) volleyball tri-match on Saturday afternoon, defeating Albertus Magnus College (7-9, 1-6 GNAC), 3-0, before suffering a 3-2 setback at the hands of host Johnson & Wales University (9-14, 4-2 GNAC).

Saint Joseph's def. Albertus Magnus, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-11)

The first set was closely-contested early as St. Joe's held a slim 10-9 edge at the midway point, but the Monks went on to score 11 of the next 14 points and took a cushy 21-12 lead when senior Sarah Hawkes (Pownal, Maine) blasted a kill late. The Falcons answered with a 7-4 surge but would drop the opener by a 25-19 score.

Saint Joseph's raced out to a 20-11 advantage in the second set and managed to withstand another late Albertus run to claim a 25-18 win and a 2-0 match lead.

The third, and final, set was all Monks, as the Royal Blue utilized a .333 attack percentage and eight Albertus attack miscues to notch a 25-11 triumph and, thusly, a 3-0 sweep over the Falcons.

For the Monks, Hawkes posted an impressive showing with a match-high 16 kills to go with 10 digs and four block assists and senior setter Kiah Begley (Berwick, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) posted 34 assists, nine digs and three kills on the afternoon. Freshman Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) contributed 12 kills and three block assists while classmate Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) tallied five kills and 13 digs, Erica Russi (Debary, Fla.) added four kills and 10 digs, and Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) chipped in with 10 digs.

Melissa Manning paced the Falcons with eight kills while Maritza Rosemond racked up 17 digs, 16 assists and three kills in a losing effort.

Saint Joseph's is now 6-1 versus Albertus Magnus since the start of the 1991 campaign and has defeated the Falcons in five straight meetings – all sweeps - dating back to the 2008 season.

Johnson & Wales def. Saint Joseph's, 3-2 (28-26, 17-25, 25-20,19-25, 15-11)

The nightcap contest was a nail biter, as the visiting Monks and host Wildcats squared off in a match that featured 25 tie scores and 11 lead changes.

St. Joe's appeared to be in control early in the first set, as the Royal Blue jumped out to a 5-1 lead with the help of two Hawkes kills. The Wildcats quickly entered the fray with five unanswered points, but the Monks proceeded to obtain a 13-7 cushion after four consecutive JWU attack errors.

The hosts proceeded to knot the match at 13-13 minutes later and neither squad would hold a lead of more than three points for the remainder of the opening set. Trailing 19-17, Saint Joseph's put six of the following seven points on the board to gain a 23-20 cushion, but it would not last as Courtney Wright belted three kills for the Wildcats and the Monks committed several errors to drop the opener by a 28-26 margin.

St. Joe's rebounded in the second stanza, as the Royal Blue took advantage of 12 JWU attack errors to claim a 25-17 win and knot the match at one-apiece. Despite sloppy play, the Wildcats remained in the action and trailed by just one point, 17-16, late, but the Monks rattled off six unanswered points to close out the set.

The hosts started the third set with a pair of kills, but would trail 6-2 minutes later after making a service error along with four attack errors. St. Joe's clung on to an 8-6 lead several plays later, but the edge was short-lived as Johnson & Wales tallied nine straight scores on the way to a 25-20 win and a 2-1 match lead.

Up to the challenge, the Monks came out swinging in the fourth set, as the Royal Blue would hold at least a share of the lead for the duration en route to earning a 25-19 win. As a result, St. Joe's would play its third five-set match of the season.

Unfortunately, the Monks have had little luck in five-set tilts this fall and today's result would drop the team's record to 0-3 in such matches this season. The score was close until JWU boasted five straight points to take a 14-8 lead and, although the Royal Blue would rally with a trio of scores - two off Russi service aces – St. Joe's would fall, 15-11, and drop the match by a 3-2 score.

For the Monks, Hawkes was again dominant with 17 kills and 23 digs and Begley was busy with 38 assists and 15 digs in the nightcap. Wachowiak tallied 15 kills to go with three solo blocks and four block assists, Russi registered a match-high 34 digs and three aces, Hollander chimed in with 14 digs and four kills, and Holly Bannister (Cumberland, Maine) added three kills, three solos and a pair of block assists.

The Wildcats featured a well-balanced offensive attack, as six JWU players belted seven or more kills with Karlie Haack posting a team-high 11 on the afternoon. Alyssa Drapeau contributed nine kills, 16 digs and 24 assists while Carey Kirk, Julie Snarr and Megan Bollerman added nine kills apiece in the victory.

Saint Joseph's, which defeated Johnson & Wales by a 3-2 score last fall, is now 1-7 versus the Wildcats since the start of the 1991 season.

St. Joe's hosts GNAC-rival Mount Ida College (7-10, 4-2 GNAC) on Monday at 1:00 PM. 

Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.