WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TOPS WILDCATS AND GATORS IN GNAC TRI-MATCH SWEEP
Oct. 22, 2011
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Women's Volleyball Team extended its win streak to seven matches with a pair of 3-0 sweeps on Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tri-match played in the Jean Yawkey Center. Emmanuel opened the day with a win over Johnson & Wales University. JWU then rebounded to top Pine Manor College, 3-1, before the Saints' three-set win over PMC in the final match of the afternoon.
Emmanuel applied the pressure early in the Saints' opener. The hosts charged out to a 14-5 lead over the Wildcats after a kill by Jenna Ross (Centerburg, Ohio). Senior setter Kathryne Olsen (Fairhaven, Mass.) served off four straight Emmanuel points to bring the score to 20-13 and forced a timeout by the Wildcats. Out of the break, Johnson & Wales put together a 3-0 run and caused the Saints to signal for a timeout with the score at 20-16. Consecutive kills by Ross and an ace by freshman Alison Donnelly (Longmeadow, Mass.) set the score at 24-18, Emmanuel. A JWU hitting error finished off the set for the Saints at 25-18, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the match.
JWU began set two with a 7-4 lead, backed by strong hitting from senior middle Erin Leahy (Reading, Mass.). The Saints stormed back, putting together a 9-5 run and took a 13-9 lead, behind aggressive serving from junior Moriah Logan (Halifax, Mass.). A JWU ace from Lori Church (Akron, Pa.) brought the score to 17-13. Back-to-back kills by Logan and Olsen pushed Emmanuel's lead to 23-17. Two passing errors ended the set at 25-17 and Emmanuel took a 2-0 set lead.
The Saints owned a 9-6 lead to start the third after a kill from the middle by Logan. Olsen slammed one down from the left side to give Emmanuel a 13-8 advantage. A block and a kill by JWU outside hitter Megan Bollerman (Mahwah, N.J.) kept the Wildcats in it, trailing 17-13. A solo block by Leahy and an attack error by the Saints forced Emmanuel to call for a timeout, with a one-point edge at 18-17. Out of the timeout, Ashley Rey (Miami, Fla.) served off an ace to knot the score at 18-all. The set would see the score tied again at 21 and 22-all, before Emmanuel took the lead for good. After a match-point timeout by JWU, Rebecca Stanton (Qunicy, Mass) put one down to end the set (25-22) and gave the Saints a 3-0 match win.
The Saints' offense was led by Stanton's 12 kills in 20 swings. Ross tallied 9 kills and 15 digs, while Olsen accounted for 7 kills, 7 digs and dished out 14 assists. Donnelly added 16 assists and 4 digs, while Yun-Ting Lee (Cambridge, Mass.) anchored the Emmanuel backrow with 15 digs in the win.
The Wildcats were paced by 7 kills from Audrey Warren (Haverhill, Mass.) and 5 kills from Bollerman. Freshman Alyssa Drapeau (Biddeford, Me.) handed out 14 assists, while Donna McCain (Corning, N.Y.) led the JWU defense with a match-high 19 kills in the effort.
The Wildcats quickly regained composure and put together a 3-0 win over Pine Manor College in the middle match of the day. JWU took the match with set scores of 25-19, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-14.
The final match of the day featured a back and forth battle between the Saints and the Gators in the early going, before Emmanuel took the lead for good late in the set. A 19-14 Emmanuel edge forced a PMC timeout. The Saints then went on a 6-3 run to take the first set win at 25-17.
The Saints charged out to an 8-1 lead to open the second set, backed by great serving from freshman Christine Durkee (Salem, Conn.). Emmanuel kept rolling and forced a Pine Manor College timeout at 18-9. An ace by Durkee pushed the spread to 22-9, in favor of the hosts. Another Durkee ace gave Emmanuel set point and the Saints took the set, 25-11, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
A kill by Olsen gave Emmanuel an early 11-9 lead in the third. The Gators then rallied by to tie things up after a kill from Alie Johnston (Winnipeg, MB). An Emmanuel kill by Stanton from the right side set the score at 20-15 in favor of the Saints. The match ended on a monster right side swing by Emmanuel's junior outside hitter Clare Bucci (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) and the Saints took set three, 25-19.
Emmanuel's offense was once again paced by Stanton, who slammed down 12 kills in the win. Ross added 11 kills and 7 digs and Olsen tallied 7 kills and 11 assists. Donnelly dished out 12 helpers and Lee picked up 16 digs for the Saints.
Pine Manor was led by 7 kills and 7 digs from freshman Destiny Mann (Orlando, Fla.). Sophomore setter Megan Patch (Bethpage, TN) dished out 17 assists and 7 digs in the effort.
With the two conference wins, Emmanuel improves to 18-13 on the season (9-2 GNAC). The split brings JWU to 6-22 (4-4 GNAC) and the two losses slides Pine Manor to 14-6 (4-6 GNAC).