GORHAM, ME – Sophomore Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) had a team-high 16 kills and a monster 10 (2 solo, 8 assist) blocks as the Saint Joseph's College Monks rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the University of Southern Maine Huskies 3-2 in a non-conference women's volleyball match Thursday night at Hill Gym. Saint Joseph's won the match 21-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23 and 15-3.
The win is the second straight for the Monks who improve to 18-8 overall. The loss drops the Huskies record to 19-8.
Wachowiak swung for a red-hot 40.0 percent on 16 kills and 30 attempts with just four errors to pace the Monks to the come-from-behind victory. Freshman Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) added 12 kills and nine digs while classmate Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) added 10 kills and seven digs. Freshman setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) coordinated the Monks' offense with a match-high 40 assists.
Husky freshmen duo Amanda Keppel (Springfield, Pa.) and Kristina Rubico (Chelmsford, Mass.) combined for 33 kills with Keppel leading the way with 17 followed by Rubico's 16. Rubico also had four service aces. Freshman Megan Nilson (Granby, Conn.) set for 37 assists, adding five digs.
Behind Keppel's nine kills and Rubico's 10 through the opening two sets the Huskies took a 2-0 lead defeating the Monks in closely contested sets 25-21 and 25-23. The Monks rally started in the third game when they came from behind to take a 26-24 win as Gosselin and Wachowiak each had five kills apiece.
The Monks forced the fifth set earning the 25-23 win in the fourth after trailing 21-19 late in the set. In the fifth, the Monks stormed out in front of the Huskies. Wachowiak and sophomore Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) combined for four blocks in the fifth game and limited USM to just two kills to take the win. Hollander finished with seven block assists, adding five kills.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 14-12 in the history of the series with Southern Maine and the Monks have now defeated the Huskies in 10-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2009 season. Prior to this evening, USM had not won a set versus SJC since a 3-1 loss on September 1st, 2010.
Southern Maine hosts Little East Conference opponent Rhode Island College and non-conference foe UMaine Presque Isle on Saturday (12:00 p.m.). The Huskies' tri-match will be their "Dig Pink" match. Saint Joseph's travels to Lasell College on Saturday (2:00 p.m.) for a tri-match with Mount Ida College.
COURTESY OF USM SPORTS INFORMATION
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 430-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.
