Women's Volleyball Drops Non-Conference Match at Plymouth State, 3-1

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Panthers sophomore Lilli Stogner (Weare, N.H.) pounded 18 kills and hit nearly .500 to lead the Plymouth State University women's volleyball team to a seventh straight win as the Panthers cruised past Emmanuel College, 3-1 (25-8, 25-10, 26-28, 25-10), in non-conference action at Foley Gymnasium on Saturday.
 
The Panthers' offense was in control throughout the first two sets, leading to a pair of lopsided wins. Emmanuel battled in the third set, fending off a pair of match-points to extend the match, but PSU was dominant in the fourth set.
 
The match was part of Plymouth State's 50 Years of Title IX – Celebrating the Women of Panther Athletics weekend. As part of the event, PSU welcomed campers from the Panther Volleyball Camp and Pass Set Crush Volleyball Camp.
 
Plymouth State runs its record to 9-2, while Emmanuel dips to 3-7.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 3, Emmanuel 1
  • Plymouth State (9-2)
  • Emmanuel (3-7)

How it Happened:

• Plymouth State jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind three straight kills from junior Nora Ryan (Groton, Conn.), senior Natalie Gravelle (Portsmouth, N.H.) and freshman Kalista Butler (Philipsburg, Pa.). The Panthers extended the margin to 15-4 and sophomore Lindsey Sanderson (Gilford, N.H.) served five straight points late as the Panthers rolled to a 25-8 win.
• Ryan's kill opened the second set and sophomore Morgan Drinkwater (Steep Falls, Maine) had a pair of aces as PSU raced out to an 8-0 lead. Plymouth State maintained a large advantage and back-to-back kills from Stogner, followed by a Ryan ace, helped the cushion grow to 21-9, before Sanderson's kill closed out the 25-10 win.
• Emmanuel battled throughout the third set. PSU led 9-7 on a kill by senior Emilee Flanagan (Milton, N.H.), but the Saints ran off four straight points to pull ahead. Things stayed tight and Gravelle's kill gave PSU a 22-21 lead. The lead changed five times down the stretch, with each team staving off a pair of set-points, before the Saints used a three-point run to extend the match.
• Plymouth State quickly wiped out any thought of a fifth set, jumping out to an 8-3 lead after a Flanagan kill. After an Emmanuel point, PSU ripped off six straight points, including four aces from Stogner, to push the margin to double-digits, 14-4, and the Panthers weren't challenged the rest of the way.

By the Numbers:

• Stogner finished with a match-best 18 kills and hit .484, while chipping in three blocks.
• Gravelle added 11 kills while posting a .364 attack percentage, and Ryan added eight kills while hitting .538.
• Sophomore Makayla Marucci (Newton, Mass.) defense with 11 digs, while freshman Riley McDonough (Gilford, N.H.) registered 29 assists.
• Saints sophomore Allison Doherty (Woburn, Mass.) finished the afternoon with a career-high 10 kills to go with eight digs and a team-high .444 attack percentage.
• Junior Seana Phillips (Middleboro, Mass.) added seven kills on the day.

  
Up Next:

• The Saints return home to close out the month of September, as they welcome Eastern Nazarene College to the Jean Yawkey Center on Sept. 27 for a 7:00 p.m. match.
• The Panthers hit the road for a pair of Little East Conference (LEC) games next week, starting with a trip to rival Keene State on Wednesday (Sept. 28). First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.