STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (4-5, 1-0 GNAC) split a volleyball tri-match at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday, falling to Lesley University (4-1), 3-0, before closing the day with a 3-0 triumph over conference-rival Mount Ida College (3-6, 0-1 GNAC). Lesley blanked Mount Ida, 3-0, in the sandwich match.
Lesley def. Saint Joseph's, 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-22)
The Monks fell victim to a strong Lynx serving effort in the opener, as the visitors dealt 15 aces with junior Danielle McDonald (Lilitz, Pa.) pacing the visitors with six strikes of her own. Saint Joseph's received 23 of 28 kills from two players, as freshman Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) boasted 13 kills with a .474 attack rate and junior Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) added 10 kills with six total blocks (four solo) in the losing effort.
For Saint Joseph's, junior Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) registered 21 assists and eight digs with three total blocks, junior Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) produced 23 digs, sophomore Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) added 15 digs and three kills, and sophomore Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) contributed 11 digs.
Freshman Anni Abbruzzese (Croton on Hudson, N.Y.) led the Lynx with eight kills while adding seven digs, first-year Clara Bruning (Centerville, Mass.) delivered six kills, junior Emily Marden (Fremont, Calif.) tallied 25 assists and nine digs, and junior Jess Reynolds (Londonderry, N.H.) chipped in 15 digs, four kills and three aces. McDonald added a team-best 17 digs to her impressive ace tally.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 6-3 in the history of the series with Lesley University. The setback snapped a six-match win streak versus the Lynx, a string that spanned back to the 2008 campaign.
Saint Joseph's def. Mount Ida, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-16)
St. Joe's salvaged the day with a shutout victory over Mount Ida and claimed the team's first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory with the help of an outstanding effort by Wachowiak, who recorded six block solos with five kills versus the Mustangs.
In a match that required just under an hour to complete, the Monks received solid efforts from McPhee, who boasted four aces with 21 digs, and Hollander, who added 12 assists in the GNAC triumph.
Freshman Mary Kate Reidy (Agawam, Mass.) spearheaded the Mustangs' efforts with seven kills and nine digs while senior Nicole Peixoto (New Bedford, Mass.) amassed 12 assists and eight digs in the loss. Mount Ida suffered the setback in large part due to 31 attack errors – as opposed to 13 digs – and a subsequent -.200 attack rate versus Saint Joseph's.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 4-5 all-time versus Mount Ida College and has now defeated the Mustangs in four straight meetings dating back to the 2011 season.
Saint Joseph's returns to the court Tuesday with a road match versus Plymouth State University. The non-conference tilt is slated to start at 7:00 PM.
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
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.
