STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (20-3, 5-1 GNAC) blanked University of New England (6-11, 3-2 CCC), 3-0 (28-26, 25-9, 25-17), in a non-conference women's volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening. The victory snaps the Monks' 29-match losing streak versus the Nor'easters, a program Saint Joseph's last defeated on September 14th, 1998.

THE LEAD

The in-state rivals battled in a back and forth first set, as the Monks rallied from a 24-21 deficit to claim a 28-26 victory and 1-0 match lead. The momentum gained from the comeback triumph carried the Monks through a lopsided 25-9 second-set win and St. Joe's held off a late surge by the Nor'easters in the third set to claim a 25-17 win and 3-0 match sweep.

Saint Joseph's senior middle blocker Felicia Wachowiak (Milton, N.H.) was outstanding, posting 15 kills in 20 attempts with a .700 hitting percentage and three block solos in the victory.

UNE sophomore outside hitter Emily Rumery (Wolfeboro, N.H.) paced the visitors with five kills in the losing effort.

NOTABLES – Saint Joseph's

• With a block on a Rumery attack early in the second set, Wachowiak became the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball career total blocks leader. The rejection, the 422nd (259 solo, 163 assist) of her NCAA career, pushes Wachowiak past former Pine Manor College standout Amanda Dennis, who boasted 421 total blocks over four seasons (2005-08).
• Junior outside hitter Victoria Huntley (Ellsworth, Maine) added five kills and seven digs
• Junior outside hitter Shadai Gosselin (Somersworth, N.H.) chipped in with three kills and 10 digs
• Sophomore middle blocker Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) added four kills in as many attempts
• Junior setter Mariah Hebert (Biddeford, Maine) tallied 24 assists, three aces and a pair of kills
• Freshman libero Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) contributed 17 digs and a pair of aces

NOTABLES – University of New England

• Junior middle hitter Grayson Szczepaniak (Lakewood, Ohio) chipped in with four kills
• Sophomore setter Brooke Gibbons (Miami, Fla.) dealt nine assists with five digs
• Freshman libero Brittany Morrison (Rosemount, Minn.) led the Nor'easters with 13 digs and added a pair of service aces
• Junior Erika Sawicki (Wilbraham, Mass.) and sophomore Courtney Lambrese (Cranston, R.I.) contributed a pair of kills apiece

TEAM STATS

Saint Joseph's held advantages in kills (30-15), assists (29-14), aces (7-6), digs (45-31) and blocks (4-2). The Monks posted a .218 attack percentage with just 13 errors in 78 attempts while the Nor'easters countered with a negative .080 mark with 22 miscues in 88 bids.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Tonight's win snaps the longest losing streak by a single team against a particular opponent in SJC Athletics history and counts as just the second 3-0 win over the Nor'easters in the last 26 years. St. Joe's last defeated UNE by a 3-0 score on November 1st, 1997.

Prior to this evening, Saint Joseph's had not taken a set from UNE in the last three matches featuring the in-state rivals. The Nor'easters entered the match having defeated the Monks by a combined 63-6 score in the last 21 meetings dating back to the 2003 campaign.

Saint Joseph's is now 4-51 versus University of New England since the start of the 1989 season.

NEXT!

The Monks travel to Providence on Saturday to play in a pivotal conference tri-match with Emmanuel College (6-12, 4-0 GNAC) and Johnson & Wales University (14-5, 5-0 GNAC) at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, respectively. St. Joe's is 2-8 in the history of the series with Emmanuel and 1-10 all-time against JWU.

The Nor'easters are off until next Wednesday when they play host to conference-rival Endicott College in a 7:00 PM start.

#GOMONKS

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 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.