WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PULLS OFF A PAIR OF SWEEPS IN GNAC TRI-MATCH

NEWTON, Mass. - Emmanuel College rolled to consecutive three-set wins over Anna Maria College and Mount Ida College on Saturday afternoon in the season opening Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match.  The visiting Saints took care of the AMCats, 3-0, with set scores of 25-12, 25-12 and 25-13, before downing the host Mustangs, 3-0, in set scores of 25-13, 25-13 and 26-24.  With the pair of wins, Emmanuel improves its record to 9-8 overall and a perfect 2-0 in GNAC play.

Senior captain Sarah Colby (West Barnstable, Mass.) put together a pair of errorless matches for the Saints, hitting a combined .474 (9-0-19) on the day. Colby smashed down three kills in eight swings against Anna Maria, before rattling off 6 kills in 11 swings in the win over Mount Ida.

The Saints picked up their first GNAC win of the year in emphatic fashion, taking care of Anna Maria 25-12, 25-12 and 25-13.  Junior Shannon Dudley (Morro Bay, Calif.) led the way with 25 assists, eight of which came off the swings of junior Danielle Rose (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.).

As a team, the Saints hit .378, including a first set which saw them register 12 kills without an error for a .632 attacking clip.

Junior Brittany Tutalo (Johnston, R.I.) and sophomore Cassie Chruscielski (Duluth, Minn.) R.I.) each had six kills, and Chruscielski added a team-high 12 digs and three service aces along the way.  Sophomore Kaitlyn Atkinson (Brookline, N.H.) picked up seven kills without an attacking error in the win.

The AMCats were led by Telliah Bursie's (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) five kills and nine digs from Jacqueline Clinton (Walpole, Mass.), while Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) picked up 14 assists to complete her day.  Brianna LaRegina (Troy, N.Y.) and Jessica Goulet (Lawrence, Mass.) each had three kills in the three-set loss.

In their second match of the day, the Saints escaped with a three-set win over the host Mustangs, but Emmanuel had to fight back from a 23-20 deficit to take the third set 26-24, after winning each of the first two sets by a score of 25-13.

Colby and Chruscielski each had six kills to lead the Saints attack, while sophomore Sophie Fish (North Attleboro, Mass.) had twenty assists and a game-high five aces, serving a key run in the final game, which helped Emmanuel seize the lead.

Fish led the Saints with 11 digs, while Atkinson had four kills, an ace, and a solo block.

Senior Nicole Batakis (East Longmeadow, Mass.) led the way for Mount Ida with seven kills, while Davis had four kills and Koolman added 17 more digs to her total.

Nicole Peixoto (New Bedford, Mass.) was in double-digits twice as well, with 13 assists and ten digs, and had three service aces in the final match.

The Saints will return to the court on Thursday, September 25th, when Emmanuel travels over to Colleges of the Fenway foe Wentworth Institute of Technology for a 7:00 PM start.

- Release courtesy of Mount Ida College Sports Information