Stonehill Claims Hard Fought, 3-1 Victory Over Bridgeport


Senior setter Emily Iverson registered 40 assists tonight to become the program's all-time leader with a total of 3705.

Skyhawks snap Purple Knights nine-match winning streak as senior setter Emily Iverson becomes Stonehill's all-time assists leader

EASTON, Mass. (October 3, 2014) – Stonehill College won the final three sets after dropping the opening frame to close out an impressive 3-1 (23-25, 25-11, 30-28, 25-23) victory over the University of Bridgeport this evening in non-conference volleyball action at Merkert Gymnasium.

Stonehill senior setter Emily Iverson (Elmhurst, Illinois/York), who entered tonight's match needing just 39 assists to break the program's all-time record of 3703, set by Andrea Wirth, '11, in 2010, registered 40 assists to lead the Skyhawk offense. The three-time All-Northeast-10 Conference selection also posted a match-high tying four service aces to go with five digs and two kills.

Senior middle blocker Mary-Kate Catton (San Diego, California/Academy of Our Lady of Peace) hit .385 with a team-high 12 kills and five block assists. Classmate Meaghan Lee (Hanover, Massachusetts/Notre Dame Academy) collected 11 kills without an error in 22 opportunities for a .500 attack percentage, while junior outside hitter Delia Phillips (St. James, New York/Smithtown East) posted a double-double with 10 kills and a team-best 13 digs.

Bridgeport, which entered tonight's contest riding a nine-match winning streak, was hampered by 28 errors, as the Purple Knights posted a .117 team attack percentage in the contest. Following an opening frame in which Bridgeport hit .231 with four errors, the visiting team followed that up with -.115 and .075 attack clips in the second and third sets, respectively, while committing nine errors in both stanzas.


Senior middle blocker Mary-Kate Catton hit .385 with a team-high 12 kills in Stonehill's 3-1 victory this evening.

Purple Knights senior middle blocker Larissa Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Magnum Agostiniane) hit .333 and led all players with 16 kills, while classmate Ying Shen (Nanjing, China/Syracuse) added ten kills and five digs. Senior libero Michele Santos (Campinas, Brazil/Ranger College) posted a match-high 15 digs, and senior setter Biljana Savic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Gimnazija Isidora Sekulic) tallied 22 assists and ten digs.

Bridgeport recovered from a 17-13 deficit to claim a 25-23 victory in the opening frame, as the Purple Knights posted their highest attack percentage of the evening. Stonehill evened the score at one set apiece after Bridgeport's attack clip plunged in the second set. The Skyhawks turned a 7-7 tie into a 20-9 lead before taking the set by 14 points (25-11).

The Purple Knights got off to a hot start in the critical third set, as the visiting team led 13-5 before Stonehill was forced to call a timeout. The Skyhawks pulled to within five, at 15-10, before going on a ten-point tear to take a 20-15 lead. Bridgeport countered with a five-point run to tie it up, and the teams continued to battle until the score reached 28-28. Stonehill finally ended the lengthy frame with a pair of kills by freshman outside hitter Ashley Hitchcock (Warrenville, Illinois/Benet Academy) to go up two sets to one.

Much like the first and third sets, the fourth frame was another nailbiter. Stonehill held an early 12-6 lead, but Bridgeport fought back to eventually even the score at 14. The set saw seven ties after that point, including 23-23, before the Skyhawks finally emerged with the victory on a kill by Lee followed by an attack error on Bridgeport junior outside hitter Sarah Rosa (Itajuba, Brazil/Winthrop University).

Stonehill's victory this evening marks its first over the Purple Knights in over ten years. Bridgeport, which is coming off a season in which it won its second consecutive East Coast Conference (ECC) title and made its sixth straight trip to the NCAA Championship, had won 11 straight over the Skyhawks dating back to the 2004 season.

Stonehill (12-3, 4-0 NE-10) will be right back in action tomorrow morning, as the Skyhawks are set to wrap up their five-match homestand against the New York Institute of Technology at 11 a.m. Bridgeport (12-2, 7-0 ECC) will look to get back in the win column next Thursday night when the Purple Knights host Queens College.

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