CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (8-7) defeated Lesley University (5-9), 3-1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23) in a non-conference women's volleyball match on Monday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
With the help of a .310 attack rate, the Monks cruised to a 25-14 first-set victory, but the Lynx managed to tie the match with a .345 percentage in a narrow 25-22 second-set win. After winning the third set and taking a 2-1 lead, the fourth frame proved to be hard fought.
St. Joe's held the lead for most of the set but the Lynx made a comeback to get it 15-18 and force an SJC timeout. A handful of Lesley attack errors allowed the Monks to claim a 24-20 lead, but a block and a kill from Kaylee Deluga kept the hosts' hopes alive 22-24. The rally effort was quickly spurned by Kelsey Bickford (Somersworth, N.H.), who belted her 17th kill of the night to lift the Monks to a 3-1 triumph.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Bickford led the way with a career-high 17 kills on 46 attacks with seven digs
- Senior Jordynne Copp (Cumberland, Maine) posted a .308 attack percentage with nine kills on 26 attempts and a pair of block solos
- Junior Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) recorded a match-high 28 digs
- Freshman Erin Olson (Stoughton, Mass.) added seven kills and three block solos
- Freshman Sophia Randall (Epping, N.H.) chipped in with 21 assists, three kils, and four digs
- Junior Sarah Dyer (Seabrook, N.H.) contributed 20 assists, four kills, and three digs
LEADERS – LESLEY:
- Deluga notched a .351 attack rate with 17 kills on 37 attempts with 13 digs, two aces, and a pair of block solos
- Anni Abbruzzese recorded 11 kills, 17 digs, and two service aces
- Sarah Hollis tallied eight kills
- Tallin Goldberg dealt 38 assists with eight digs
TEAM STATS:
Saint Joseph's held slim advantages in kills (43-42), assists (42-41), and aces (7-5) while Lesley posted a 70-62 lead in digs on the evening.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 9-3 versus Lesley University (since 1989) and has now defeated the Lynx in three-consecutive meetings.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Anna Maria College Wednesday in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match slated to begin at 6:00 PM.
#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.
