GORHAM, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-1) opened the 2014 season with a non-conference tri-match split at University of Southern Maine on Saturday afternoon. The Monks opened with a 3-1 victory over Maine Maritime Academy (0-2) and closed with a 3-0 loss at the hands of the host Huskies.

Saint Joseph's def. Maine Maritime, 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20)

The tandem of Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) and Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) helped guide the Monks to a solid win in the opener, as both players registered 11 kills while the latter chipped in eight digs in the victory. Freshman Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) kicked off her collegiate career with an outstanding performance, netting eight kills with no errors in 17 attempts.

Junior Allie Hollander (Thermal, Calif.), who has moved back to her high school position as the Monks' setter this fall, showed little rust in her return to the post while tallying 27 assists and 13 digs. Junior libero Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) chipped in with 30 digs, five kills and four aces, sophomore Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) contributed seven digs and a pair of aces, and junior Cassie Leech (Middleborough, Mass.) added four kills and three total blocks on the afternoon.

The Mariners, who went on to suffer a 3-0 loss to USM in the sandwich match, were led by Gillian O'Neal with 17 kills and 18 digs and Sydney Robertson, who dealt 11 kills with four total blocks in the setback.

Southern Maine def. Saint Joseph's, 3-0 (22-25, 20-25, 13-25)

The Monks fell victim to an uncharacteristically subpar attack in the nightcap, as the Royal Blue posted a .098 kill rate with 20 errors in 102 attempts en route to a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Huskies, who posted a respectable .232 percentage with 14 miscues in 112 bids in the closing match.

Wachowiak paced the Monks with 10 kills and added three total blocks while Hollander dished out 19 assists with eight digs and McPhee boasted 14 digs in a losing effort.

The Huskies were led by Jessica Williamson with 18 kills and seven digs while Mariah Garcia contributed five of the host's eight service aces in the triumph.

For Southern Maine, the win over Saint Joseph's snaps a 10-game losing streak at the hands of the Monks dating back to the 2006 campaign.

Saint Joseph's returns to the court on Friday when the team begins play in its annually hosted event – the SJC Autumn Invitational. The Monks open with a 6:00 PM match versus Bates College in a rematch of the 2013 invitational championship, which the Monks won by a 3-1 margin.

Saint Joseph's will look to avenge the loss to the Huskies in Gorham on November 1st, when the two teams meet up in what will be the Monks' final match of the 2014 regular season.

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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.