Elms Downs Women’s Volleyball in Season-Opener, 3-1

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel College, 1; Elms College, 3

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (0-1, 0-1 GNAC)
Elms College Blazers (2-3, 1-0 GNAC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Jean Yawkey Center Gymnasium

Date: Tuesday, September 7, 2021

THE LEAD – Emmanuel College fell to visiting Elms College, 3-1, in their season-opener on Tuesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's volleyball action at the Jean Yawkey Center Gymnasium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After trading points to a 4-4 score in the opening set, Elms took control to cruise to a 25-10 win behind the strong service game of senior Alanys Cruz Diaz (Humacao, Puerto Rico). The Blazers held the Saints to a -.077 hitting percentage (6-8-26) to take the 1-0 lead in the match.
• Emmanuel responded and played its best volleyball of the night in set two, posting 14 kills en route to a 26-24 win to even the match at 1-1. Senior Anna Caristi (North Attleboro, Mass.) tallied five kills in the frame while classmate Caitlin Tannian (Reading, Mass.) added four winners to give the hosts a lift.
• The third set featured 11 ties in constant back-and-forth action to a 20-20 score following a kill by Elms junior Laura Jensen (Torrance, Calif.) which started a 4-0 run to give the Blazers a 23-20 cushion late in the frame. Jensen served up the win with an ace to secure a 25-21 set to push Elms on top, 2-1.
• Emmanuel continued to battle in the fourth set, trailing early by as many as six (11-5) but clawed back to even the score at 12-12 before the Blazers regrouped for a late surge. They closed out the night on a 12-1 run behind the service game of Jensen and junior Natalia Caraballo Rivera (Arlington, Texas) to pull away with the 25-12 victory for the 3-1 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Cruz Diaz led all players with a match-high 16 kills while hitting .213 from the floor.
• Caristi finished the match with a team-best nine kills for Emmanuel while sophomore Sasha Hyacinthe (Stoughton, Mass.) chipped in with seven winners.
• Senior setter Govanna Rosado (Humacao, D.R.) dished out 33 assists in the win for Elms while her Emmanuel counterpart, junior Rachel Coleman (Peabody, Mass.) ended the match with 27 helpers for the Saints.
• Elms served up a total of 20 aces in the victory compared to just four for the host side.

UP NEXT

• Emmanuel is now idle for a week, returning to the court on Tuesday, September 14 when they travel to Quincy, Mass. to take on Eastern Nazarene College at 7:00 PM.
• Elms returns to the hardwood on Saturday when they travel to Salem State University for a tri-match with the Vikings and Johnson State starting at 11:00 AM.