BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Senior Leah Janelle (Madbury, N.H.) tallied match-highs of 13 kills and 14 digs to lead the University of New England in a 3-0 sweep of Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on Thursday evening (Oct. 16) in non-conference women's volleyball action at the Harold Alfond Forum. Set scores were 25-16, 25-14, and 25-16.
The Nor'easters (9-12) have now won 29 consecutive matches against the Monks (7-17) dating back to 1998.
UNE grabbed an early 4-0 cushion in the 1st set and held it straight through, although the advantage was cut to one on several occasions prior to the midway point. At 11-10, the Nor'easters rattled off five unanswered to gain some separation, and followed soon after with a 6-0 spurt to stretch the margin to 23-14. Janelle had seven winners in the frame.
Things were knotted at 6-6 in the 2nd, until a string of six points by the Nor'easters gave the hosts a lead they would not relinquish. Sophomore Grayson Szczepaniak (Lakewood, Ohio) had three of her six kills in the set during the run. Ahead at 15-12, UNE captured 10 of the ensuing 12 points to finish it off. Senior Rachel McGahie (Westmoreland, N.H.) notched all five of her kills in the stanza.
The hosts held a 4-3 edge in the 3rd before an SJC error, two Szczepaniak winners, and an ace by Janelle quickly bumped the gap to 8-3. Then, from 13-10, Janelle tacked on four more kills in the midst of a 7-0 run that put the match out of reach.
Szczepaniak ended with 11 kills against zero errors and a .500 attack percentage. First-year Brooke Gibbon (Miami, Fla.) paced the offense with 26 assists, and also contributed nine digs. Sophomore Nikki Mathewson (Merrimack, N.H.) totaled 12 digs.
For St. Joe's, junior Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) registered six kills and first-year Taylor Penman (Montville, Conn.) recorded 16 assists. Junior Alli Hollander (Thermal, Calif.) posted a team-best eight digs.
UNE will play its fifth of a six-match homestand on Saturday (1 p.m.) against Bates College. The Monks head to Simmons College the same day for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match with the Sharks and Norwich University.
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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.
