STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (13-17, 7-6 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's volleyball tri-match at Mike McDevitt Court on Saturday. The Monks overcame a 1-0 set deficit to defeat Emmanuel College (7-18, 3-10 GNAC), 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-14, 30-28), in the opener and fell to Johnson & Wales University (17-11, 11-2 GNAC), 3-0 (28-26, 25-11, 25-17), in the nightcap.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the split, Saint Joseph's has earned the #8 seed in the GNAC Tournament and will play at top-seeded Rivier University in a first-round matchup on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Johnson & Wales has claimed the #2 seed and will host #7 Norwich University on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
For Emmanuel – which fell to JWU by a 3-0 score in the middle match today – the pair of setbacks closes out the 2022 campaign.
SENIOR MOMENT:
Prior to the start of the tri-match Saint Joseph's held a brief ceremony to honor the program's five seniors: Catherine Balzano (Portland, Maine), Amanda Darby (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Hanna Holden (Stoughton, Mass.), Catherine Lane (Millis, Mass.), and Isabel Philbrick (Milford, N.H.). The 2023 graduating class has helped the Monks win 30 games - including 17 in GNAC play - with an improved team record in each of the last three full seasons.
Saint Joseph's def. Emmanuel, 3-1
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Freshman Heather Darby (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led the way with 13 kills and added nine digs
- Philbrick notched seven kills, five aces, and five block assists
- Freshman Victoria Briones (El Paso, Texas) tallied nine kills, four aces, and 23 digs
- First-year Nadia Sixto (Chattanooga, Tenn.) added eight kills and four block assists
- Sophomore Hanna Webster (Alvin, Texas) contributed seven kills and 13 digs
- Holden posted two kills, 25 assists, and 13 digs
- Junior Sam Holland (Gilmanton, N.H.) picked up 16 digs
LEADERS – EMMANUEL:
- Seana Phillips belted 13 kills with four total blocks
- Rachel Coleman provided 33 assists and 13 digs
- Alison Doherty, Maeve Gaffny, and Wiktoria Galazyn tacked on six kills apiece
- Kerry Shea notched three kills and 23 digs
- Tatiana Correia chipped in with 22 digs
Johnson & Wales def. Saint Joseph's, 3-0
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Balzano posted four kills and seven digs
- Holden dealt seven assists with three aces
- Philbrick added two kills and four aces
- Briones contributed three kills and seven digs
LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:
- Peyton Oliver recorded a .550 attack percentage with 12 kills and one error in 20 attempts along with four aces and three total blocks for a total of 18 points
- Sarah Miller added five kills and six digs
- Kyra Hissner posted six kills, 23 assists, eight digs, and two block assists
