Sophomore Delia Phillips recorded her ninth double-double of the season tonight, with 13 kills and 14 digs. |
Skyhawks suffer first NE-10 defeat since September 17th
EASTON, Mass. (October 18, 2013) – The Stonehill College volleyball team led two sets to one, but dropped the final two frames and the match to visiting Franklin Pierce University, 3-2 (25-15, 14-25, 25-23, 20-25, 12-15) tonight at Merkert Gym. The loss was Stonehill's first in conference play since the Skyhawks were defeated by American International College on September 17th in Stonehill's home opener.
Sophomore outside hitter Delia Phillips (St. James, N.Y./Smithtown East) notched her ninth double-double of the season with a match-high 13 kills to go with 14 digs to lead Stonehill. Phillips also tallied three aces, two assists, and a block in the loss. Senior captain Kirsten Arvidson (Andover, Mass./Andover) recorded 11 kills and five digs, and fellow captain Sydney Maxey (Hutto, Texas/Hutto) racked up a team-best 21 digs, along with six kills, one assist, and one block. Freshman setter Taylor Stevens (Foster, R.I./Ponaganset) did a nice job engineering the Stonehill offense, as she dished out a match-high 39 assists, while hitting .500 with nine digs, four kills, two blocks, and an ace.
Senior outside hitter Natasha Ray (Colorado Springs, Colo./Yavapai College), who came into tonight's match leading Franklin Pierce with 2.95 kills per set, was held to a single kill in the 3-2 victory for the Ravens. The 2012 All-Northeast-10 first team selection did record 10 digs and three aces, however. Senior middle hitter Katie Jackson (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) was key for the visiting team, as she hit .360 with 11 kills and a match-high seven blocks. Senior libero Lauren Miller (Alexandria, Ind./Alexandria-Monroe) registered a match-best 29 digs, and junior outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) chipped in with 10 kills.
Stonehill won the first set easily, but struggled in the second, hitting .000 with 11 errors. The Skyhawks took control of the match by winning the third frame by a 25-23 margin, but again let the Ravens back into the contest by hitting only .087 in a fourth set loss. Stonehill held a slim 10-8 advantage in the deciding frame, before Franklin Pierce rattled off four consecutive points and seven of the final nine to take the set and the match.
Stonehill (12-8, 4-2 NE-10) is right back in action tomorrow, as the Skyhawks host LIU Post in a 1:30 p.m. match at Merkert Gym. The Pioneers swept Stonehill, 3-0, in the 2013 season opener for both schools back on September 6th at the Charger Invitational in West Haven, Conn. Franklin Pierce (6-6, 1-4 NE-10) will be looking for its second conference victory when the Ravens return to action at home on Tuesday night against Merrimack College.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.