STANDISH, Maine – Colby College (1-0) rallied from a 1-0 set deficit with three-consecutive wins to defeat Saint Joseph's College (0-5), 3-1 (24-26, 25-7, 25-16, 25-19) in a non-conference women's volleyball match at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday evening.
In a wild first set that featured 16 tie scores and 11 lead changes, the Monks – trailing 24-23 late - prevailed with three unanswered points, including the set-clinching service ace from junior Hanna Holden (Stoughton, Mass.), to claim a 1-0 advantage.
The Mules came out firing in the second set and tied the match in convincing fashion by scoring 14 of the set's final 16 points, a string that included a pair of Bella Schumacher service aces, to cruise to the 25-7 set triumph.
In the third set the Monks and Mules were tied 11-11 at the midway point but the visitors – led by Jenny Slaveck's four kills and a pair of blocks from Hannah Wyllie - managed to register a 14-5 run to close out the penultimate set and claim a 2-1 edge.
St. Joe's rallied from a large deficit in the fourth set, as the hosts trailed 18-9 on the heels of a 10-1 Colby scoring surge but managed to make it a 23-19 score with the help of solid front line performances from Maggie Sylvester (Barrington, N.H.), Isabel Philbrick (Milford, N.H.), and Allison McMullen (Jacksonville, Fla.). Unfortunately, the rally fell short as the Mules closed out the set, and match, with kills from Natalie Bumpus and Samantha Schultz.
TEAM STATS:
Colby held the lead in kills (48-28), attack percentage (.208-.000), assists (44-28), service aces (10-4), digs (55-44), and blocks (8-4) on the evening.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Senior Nicole Baron (Derry, N.H.) led the SJC attack with nine kills and posted a pair of digs
- Sylvester chipped in with seven kills and six digs
- McMullen contributed six kills and two digs
- Philbrick added four kills and two block solos
- Holden dealt 13 assists with nine digs and two block solos
- Freshman Sierra Burns (Peyton, Colo.) notched 13 digs and three assists
- Sophomore Sam Holland (Gilmanton, N.H.) added 10 digs, three assists, and two service aces
LEADERS – COLBY:
- Wyllie led all players with 14 kills and a stellar .609 attack rate with no errors in 23 attempts
- Slaveck notched a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs
- Schultz added 10 kills and 13 digs
- Morgan Selby and Susie Mueller posted 20 assists apiece
NOTEWORTHY:
Tonight's victory was the first career win for Colby Head Coach Lindsay Johnson.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will face UMaine-Presque Isle at Colby on Saturday at 3:00 PM.
