BOSTON, MA – Saint Joseph's (18-5, 7-3 GNAC) topped Emmanuel College (10-15, 4-3 GNAC), 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-19), in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball match on Wednesday evening. Freshman Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) recorded nine kills, five digs and three block assists in the conference conquest.

For St. Joe's, the victory was the program's first in seven matches versus Emmanuel College, the same team that handed the Monks a 3-1 setback, and ended the SJC season, in the quarterfinal round of the GNAC Tournament last fall. Prior to tonight, Emmanuel – an ECAC Tournament selection last year - had defeated the Monks by a combined score of 18-1 in six meetings.

The Monks jumped out to the early lead in the opening set, taking a 10-5 lead following a kill by Sarah Hawkes (Pownal, Maine), but the Saints were able to claw their way back into the action behind the service of sophomore defensive specialist Cara Callahan (Medway, Mass.), who was able to reel off six straight points to provide the hosts with a 20-18 lead. Two of the points came via the ace for Callahan.

The Monks were able to answer as Hawkes got the rally started with a kill. Two Emmanuel errors put Saint Joseph's back on top, 21-20, before Saints sophomore outside hitter Christine Durkee (Salem, Conn.) evened the score at 21-21 with a kill. The two squads traded errors to make it 22-22 before the Monks closed the set with three straight points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set was all Saint Joseph's as the visitors held Emmanuel to a negative -.087 hitting percentage while accumulating five blocks in the 25-14 win.

The Saints showed signs of life in the final set, keeping the game close early. Freshman middle hitter Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.) put down a kill to make it 9-9, triggering an SJC timeout. The Monks came out of the timeout strong and never trailed again in the frame en route to the 25-19 win for the 3-0 victory on the match.

Hawkes led the way for Saint Joseph's with 15 digs, 13 kills, five block assists and a .423 hitting clip while Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) was right behind her with 10 kills, two solo blocks and five block assists. Junior Holly Bannister (Cumberland, Maine) added seven kills and five total blocks, junior Erica Russi (Debary, Fla.) chipped in with eight digs, and senior setter Kiah Begley (Berwick, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) ran the offensive show with 36 assists while also adding 10 digs.

Senior middle hitter Moriah Logan (Halifax, Mass.) was in double-figures with 10 kills for the Saints while freshman setter Shannon Dudley (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) dished out 15 helpers. Senior libero Yun-Ting Lee (Keelung, Taiwan) registered a game-high 17 digs while Callahan was just behind her with 16 digs in the loss.

With the result, Saint Joseph's increases its winning streak to six games – the longest string of victories since the Monks posted a six-game win streak in 1995. That year, St. Joe's extended the win streak to eight games – the longest in program history – and capped the season with a 27-10 record under Head Coach John Razsa, who was in his four season at the helm at the time.

The Monks return to the court the on Saturday when they head to Rhode Island College for a non-conference tri-match against the University of Southern Maine at 1:00 PM and a match vs. RIC at 3:00 PM. The Saints will return to action on the same day when they host a GNAC tri-match beginning at 12:00 PM vs. Norwich University with another contest at 4:00 PM against Anna Maria College.

THANKS IN LARGE PART TO EMMANUEL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

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.