CASTINE, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-0) defeated Maine Maritime Academy (0-1) in five sets (25-22, 16-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-13) in what served as the 2015 season opener for both programs on Wednesday evening. Senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) led all players with 17 kills and seven total blocks (five solo) in the victory.

The two teams were evenly matched throughout the first set, but the Monks took charge late with six-straight points to take the 25-22 advantage and a one-set lead. In the second half, the Mariners grabbed a commanding 25-16 victory, led by six kills from junior Gillian O'Neal (Burbank, Calif.) to even the sets at one each.

In the third set, the Monks once again used six-straight points to extend their lead and take the 2-1 advantage, but the Mariners continued to fight, claiming a 25-20 victory in the fourth set, highlighted by four kills from freshman Tess Clark (Spring, Texas).

Entering the fifth set the Mariners held a slim 10-9 lead following a service ace from senior captain Molly Marcotte (Woonsocket, R.I.), but the Monks grabbed a service ace on match point to take the win.

THANKS IN PART TO MAINE MARITIME SPORTS INFORMATION

GAME NOTES

• Wachowiak posted a game-high .333 attack percentage with 17 kills and five errors in 36 attempts at the net
• Junior Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) tallied six kills and 17 digs in the triumph
• Senior Abbie McPhee (Epping, N.H.) registered a match-high 24 digs with three service aces
• Junior Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) chipped in with four kills and 13 digs
• Junior Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine), who missed the entire 2014 campaign due to injury, produced 26 assists, five digs and an ace in her return to the court
• Freshman Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) recorded 19 digs in her collegiate debut
• Sophomore Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) chimed in with three kills and five total blocks
• Overall, the Monks held advantages in digs (83-77) and total blocks (14-10) while the Mariners owned leads in kills (40-34), attack rate (.146 - .051), assists (40-26) and aces (12-4)

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• With the win, Saint Joseph's is now 10-4 versus Maine Maritime since the start of the 1989 season
• Tonight's five-set match is just the third in the 14-game series between the teams and first since 2008
• The Monks have now defeated the Mariners in five-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2012 season
• Tonight's victory is the Monks' first five-set triumph since the Royal Blue tipped Southern Maine on October 24th, 2013 and the victory snapped a 10-game losing streak when playing five sets – SJC was 0-9 last year in matches that went the distance
• The Monks are now 19-8 in season-openers since 1989 and have kicked off a new season with a victory in each of the last seven years
• With tonight's performance, Wachowiak now has 954 career kills – only former teammate Sarah Hawkes '13 (1,107) has more
• Including 24 digs this evening, McPhee has 966 career digs and ranks fourth all-time in the statistical category – former teammate Erica Russi '14 is the team's career leader with 1,340

UP NEXT

• Saint Joseph's plays at Lesley University on Saturday at 1:00 PM – the Monks are 6-3 all-time versus the Lynx, but suffered a 3-0 setback to their New England Region counterpart at home last season, a loss that effectively ended a six-game winning streak versus Lesley
• Lesley opens the 2015 campaign at 8:00 PM on Thursday when the team hosts Salve Regina University 

#GOMONKS

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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 474-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.